Ninjas and Pirates: The Great Adventure
by ShadyShawn21
Summary: Set after the Fourth Great Ninja War. Naruto is leaving the Elemental Nations to try and bring peace to the world. A journey which won't be without hardships but at least he won't be alone. And he will be needing all the help he can get, especially with the eventual awakening of an ancient prophecy that'll turn the world upside down unless something is done about it. Naruto/Harem.
1. Chapter 1

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

XxX Elemental Nations XxX

In the Village Hidden in the Leaves or more commonly known as Konohakagure it was a day just like any other. A dark haired individual with his hair tied up into a spiky ponytail, who was also sporting his usual lazy expression was walking towards the door to the Hokages office. He soon arrives at the door and knocks first before he starts to open the door. "Hey Naruto I have some forms I need you to sign..." He looks around to see a desk with papers stacked up to the ceiling and...toads of all things were stamping some forms and others seemed to be organizing the room. "Ok just where did he take off to this time? I mean seriously."

The largest toad currently in the room was wearing an orange vest covering his reddish body covered in darker red swirl patterns, he was also wearing an orange beret on his head was currently sitting in the seat which is supposed to be meant for the Hokage looks up to see him standing there. The toad lets out a loud croak before speaking. **"Oh you must be Shikamaru-san. I'm Gamaita. Naruto-sama asked us to take care of a few things for him since Ojiji-sama had another prophecy about him.** *Croak* **As to what its about I have no clue. I'm just happy to be of some help to Naruto-sama."** Gamaiti shrugs his shoulders as he explains the situation to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru lets out a groan as he shakes his head in disbelief. "Man this is such a drag." He looks around the room again before returning his gaze to Gamaiti. "I don't suppose you have any idea when he'll be back do you?"

**"Naruto-sama said that he should be back sometime this afternoon. If you like I can send one of our tracker toads to find you once he returns?"**

Shikamaru smiles a little as he nods in acceptance to the offer. "That sounds good thanks." After a short pause he looks at the beret on the toads head. "I'm sorry but I have to ask. Whats with the-"

**"I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask about my beret!"** The toad interrupts him. **"I have my own style so drop it."**

"Ya alright I won't ask again." Says Shikamaru. '_Though _that's_ gonna be bugging me for awhile now.'_ He thinks to himself as he leaves the room.

Eventually he runs into a pink haired kunoichi. "Oh hey Shikamaru. Did you let Naruto know about the preparations for the yearly Kage meeting?"

Shikamaru grins as he knows how this conversation will end. Most likely will end in a very bruised and beaten up Naruto. '_Oh Naruto is so going to hate me for this. Oh well its what he gets for taking off like he just did._' The kunoichi tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Oh sorry about that Sakura. And to answer your question. Well lets just say that he's not here at the moment. He seems to have taken off again and left a bunch of toads to do his paperwork for him." The moment he finishes speaking he jups out a window in an effort to avoid becoming collateral damage.

Sakura stands there for s short time as her mind attempts to process what Shikamaru just told her. With every second that goes by another tic mark forms on her forehead as well as her fists clenching tighter and tighter in anger. "Oh he is so going to regret taking off like this!" She walks down the hall as she begins thinking about just how brutally shes going to beat on him when he finally returns.

XxX Mount Myoboku XxX

Sitting in a large room was an gigantic elderly Toad who was brown in colour except for his white belly was sitting upon his oversized throne. Two much smaller but also elderly toads were sitting on either side but infront of him watched as a man with blonde hair who was wearing an orange jumpsuit and a short-sleeved red coat with a black flame pattern along the hemline was walking to a platform out in the middle of the room.

The blond grins as he raises his right hand putting his index and middle fingers together and gives the toads a friendly salute. "Yo how have you all been? Its been quite awhile since the last time we were all here like this."

The oversized toad looks down at the blond man. **"Why yes it was been quite a while. Umm...who are you again?"** With that sentence everyone else in the room falls over in surprise. The female toad known as Shima also referred to as Ma loudly groans before she yells out. **"Geeze you old geazer this is seriously getting old. As you should very well know the one standing before you is Naruto Uzu-freaking-Maki! You know the child of prophecy! I mean your the one who called him out here!"**

Naruto slowly gets up and proceeds to brush himself off. "Its ok Ma don't worry about it. I'm getting used to it." He says to the female toad before looking back up to the gargatuian toad. "And if I'm right in my timing he should figure out who I am in three. Two. One-" He quietly says to himself.

"**Ah yes Naruto I have seen a vision involving you. One where you seems to be sailing the seas, but for why I do not know. I also saw you reuniting with an old friend who's power resides in his eyes."** The Great Toad Sage begins but is cut off by Naruto.

"Wait what? Are you talking about Sasuke? During the final battle against Madara wasn't Sasuke sent to another dimension by Obito? I do remember him shoving me out of the way at the last moment to protect me from his power, which allowed me to take advantage of Obitos confusion and take him out." Naruto exclaims in disbelief. "Now your telling me that he may be alive out there somewhere?"

The Toad Sage looks at Naruto curiously. **"Ah yes I remember him now. Yes. Yes I'm pretty sure he's the lad in the vision. However something seems off about him. Like a part of him is missing. Although I'm unsure if it's either physical or mental."** Naruto looks to the ground as he takes all this information in. _'Sasuke. I hope your safe. Where ever you are.'_

The other smaller toad known as Fukasaku or is more commonly referred to as Pa by the other toads gives Naruto some time to take everything in before saying anything. **"Naruto-bozu it would appear that you now have another reason to explore the world."** The blond looks up with a puzzled look on his face as he looks at Fukasaku. "Huh? What do you mean by that Pa?" He asks.

Fukasaku shakes his head a little. **"Think about it Naruto-bozu. Jiraiya-bozu wanted to bring peace to the world and he left that quest to you. Well the Elemental Nations have now entered a time of peace. However this land is actually just a tiny part of the wide world out there. So if you truly wish to bring peace to the world you will sadly have to leave the land of your birth and head out to sea. I'm sorry about this but it is your choice to make. But remember your never alone! You can always summon any of the toads here in Myoboku to assist you at anytime."**

Naruto allows himself a few moments of personal reflection before a big and bright grin spreads across his face. "Thank for the quite pep talk Pa. I needed that. And your right I'm never truly alone. Well I guess I should probably head back home. I have to attend the yearly Kage meeting in the new port town Nanobee. I better let them all know whats going on. Later guys!" He then turns around and suddenly vanishes from sight in a flash of yellow light.

"**My word. Isn't that his fathers signature jutsu? The Hiraishin Jutsu? Well I'm glad to see that even though in these times of peace he's still trying to improve himself."** Shima says in astonishment.

XxX Hokage Tower in Konohakagure XxX

Naruto appears in a flash of yellow light just in front of his desk. Unfortunately his sudden appearance scare the smaller toads senseless causing them to dive under the deck or anything else they could find. He looks around at the small toads fearfully poking their noses out from under cover however they aren't quite relieved about Nautos sudden appearance. He looks around with a puzzled look on his face as he crouches down to ask one of the little toads a question.

"Umm...do any of you happen to know where Gamaiti is? I kinda left him in charge of paperwork duty while I was gone." Naruto asks.

The sound of a chair moving as well as the creak of pressure being applied to the desk. Naruto turns his head to the source of the sound. A large and shaking arm comes into sight from behind the desk. **"Is. Is that you Naruto-sama?"** Asks the owner of the shaking arm which so happens to be Gamaiti.

"Are you alright Gamaiti? Did something happen since I left?" Naruto asks.

Gamaiti slowly looks around to see if the coast is clear before responding. **"Y-ya you could say that. If that's what you call a pink typhoon that came in here and attacked us while demanding for your location. Also sorry but I'm not gonna be able to help you out anytime soon after today."** He slowly walks towards the window before screaming. **"OH MY GOD SHE'S COMING BACK! EVERYONE RETREAT!"** And with that being said every single toad in the room disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Naruto in the room alone trying to figure out what happened.

"What did they mean by a pink typhoon?" He quietly asks himself. "Wait. They did say it was pink, and that it was a she. Hmm I wonder what they meant? *thinks to himself for a moment before he slowly realizes whats coming.*OH MY GOD SAKURA-CHAN'S COMING!" He races to the door which he quickly opens just to find said person standing on the other side giving him a warm yet terrifying smile. "Why if it isn't Hokage-dono. Its so nice of you to face your punishment like a man."

_'Ok this is not good. I have two choices here. 1. Just stand here and let Sakura take out her frustration now to get it over with or...the preferred option 2. Run like hell and try to explain to her as I run for my life. However when she DOES catch me in that scenario...she is going to beat me even more...'_ Is what goes through Narutos mind in about 2 seconds. He attempts to weigh the odds of his survival on the choices but realizes he doesn't have much more time to reach a decision as he notices her right hand form into a fist. "Fuck it." Is all he says before he focuses as much chakra as possible in his legs and releases it all at once quickly repelling him in the opposite direction of Sakura forcing him through the window behind his desk.

"AIYA SAKURA-CHAN PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN!"

He then spends the rest of the afternoon and some of the night engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout the village. Those in the village who were suppose to adore and respect him spent the entire time laughing their ungrateful asses off as he dashed around trying to evade Sakuras attacks.

Eventually after a long chase Sakura eventually catches his red coat and proceeds to beat the living shit out of him. After the beat down given to him he is finally able to explain the situation and calm her down.

"You know Naruto. If you had just told me from the start this entire chase wouldn't have even happened." She explains as she leads a bruised Naruto back to his parents estate.

He glances over to her and shakes his head a little. "Sakura-chan you know very well you have and probably will never give me the chance to explain before you pummel me."

She tilts her head upwards as she ponders this. "You know you may be right about that. Wow its hard to believe you can actually be right." She says as she childishly sticks her tongue out at him.

"Well I need to get some rest. I have that Kage meeting to attend in the morning, Then everything is probably going to change." Naruto says.

"I guess so." Is all Sakura says.

_'Well I can still bring two bodyguards to this thing. Shikamarus the obvious choice. Now who should be the second?...'_ He thinks to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

It was early in the morning and the sun was just starting to raise off in the horizon as Naruto and his two companions were just reaching the outskirts of the city the Five Great Nations built together. The city known to all as Nanobee.

"Geeze Naruto. Did you have to wake us up so early? I mean the meeting won't even start until the afternoon. Man this is such a drag." Says Narutos first companion Shikamaru.

The second companion however just held her hands behind her head as she casually walked by Narutos side. "Oh come on Shikamaru. At least this way we could take our time and not rush...not like Gai-sensei and Lee always insist on doing." She says with an exasperated sigh. _'Damn them and their spring-time of youth!'_

Naruto shakes his head as he recalls how said men usually act. "Just be happy that Guy-sensei never forced you to wear that skin-tight green jumpsuit. Then again...it could look good on you TenTen-chan." He says with a cheeky grin.

She stops as if frozen in place as the image of her wearing it crosses her mind. Within moments she glares at Naruto. "Don't even joke about something like that. Cause it will never ever happen!"

He just raises a hand and waves back at her. "Don't worry I was only joking. Besides I know better than to interfere with a womens wardrobe...especially a women armed with many sharp pointy things she could then use to impale me."

TenTen crosses her arms as she pouts. Shikamaru laughs a little. "Ya I know what you mean Naruto. Women can be scary when they want to be."

Their blond haired Hokage turns his head back as they continue to make their way into town. "By the way Shikamaru, I've been meaning to ask about how things have been going between you and Temari? Gaara has been pestering me with asking when the two of you are finally going to get hitched."

Now that the subject had been changed TenTen smiles brightly as she hurries to catch up with her companions since she doesn't want to miss this conversation. The dark haired man shrugs a little. "Not too sure to be honest. I already bought the ring, however I've been wracking my brain trying to find the right time to ask her."

Naruto smiles at his friend. "Don't worry Shikamaru. Knowing you I'm sure that you'll find the right time to ask her. I'll just tell Gaara something to get him off my back." He returns his gaze to the road ahead of them. _'Knowing Temari, the time may come closer than you know Shikamaru.'_

"Well anyways lets hurry up and get to the city. I want some time to checkout the harbour." Says Naruto which causes his companions to raise an eyebrow in confusion, but they soon shrug it off and the group quickens their pace.

It doesn't take them long to arrive at the centre of the city just a few blocks away from the meeting place. Naruto proceeds to walk towards the shipyard in the opposite direction but is stopped by Shikamaru. "Hey Naruto. I know you want to check out the harbour but it would be a better if we just went to the meeting place first. Then explore afterwards."

Naruto turns around. "Ya that is a good idea. But I have a better one."

TenTen points a finger at Naruto. "This idea better not involve your damn Shadow Clones." She threatens.

The blond just rolls his eyes as he reaches into his kunai pouch. "No it doesn't involve my Shadow Clones. Its a different jutsu that I've spent the last couple of years perfecting...however I've only got a bit over half of it mastered." Both his friends tilt their heads as they try to figure out what Naruto means. He then pulls out a trident shaped kunai with a slightly larger handle and tosses it over to Shikamaru who easily catches it. The two of them look at the strangely shaped weapon and try to discern its purpose.

Suddenly TenTens eyes open wide as she realizes what it is. "OH MY GOD NARUTO IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?!" She yells out in surprise and is replied with a grin. "Yep sure is. This is one of my dads Hiraishin kunai. I now know how to use the Flying Thunder God jutsu. However I require the kunai to use it. I'm not quite at my dads level in using it yet."

Shikamaru looks at the blade before putting it away in his holster. "So when it comes time for the meeting to start you just want me to throw it then you will just teleport right to my side? Is that about right?" Naruto nods letting him know that he's quite right. "Heh convenient. I guess I'll go on ahead and take a nap until the others get there. Have fun Naruto." Shikamaru then starts walking off to the meeting place.

The brown haired kunoichi hurries to Narutos side and looks directly at his kunai holster. After several moments of her staring intently at it he just sighs and takes one out for her to examine. "There you go TenTen. Just be gentle with it and try not to stick it anywhere I wouldn't." He says as he gives her a small wink. Naruto then dashes off in the direction of the harbor to see the kinds of ships were there.

It doesn't take him very long at all to find the harbor with the massive galleons and other ships. He begins to walk around examining them trying to find one that would be suitable for his new upcoming journey. Naruto soon comes to a stop before a fair sized vessel that catches his attention. "This ship seems pretty cool. But I wonder what it looks like inside?" He says to himself. But just as he's about to jump onto the ship someone places their hand on his shoulder. "Excuse me young man. That is a warship and not a playground so I'm going to have to ask you to lea-." Says a large bald headed man sporting a small black goatee and a muscular build, who was wearing a white uniform.

The man is abruptly cut off as a kunai is placed over his exposed throat. "Just what the hell is going on?" He exclaims in fright.

"Thats what I should be asking." Says the armed kunoichi currently standing behind him. "So take your hand off Naruto-kun before I'm forced to kill you."

The muscular man releases his hand and as soon as he does so the kunai is removed from his throat. "There I let go of the punk. Now give me one damn good reason why we shouldn't arrest you two for this blatant assault?"

TenTen glares at him. Naruto-kun isn't a punk. He's the current Hokage. One of the Five leaders of the Elemental Nations! So you should show the proper respect!"

Beads of sweat begin to run down his face as he realizes what trouble he almost caused. He then snaps to attention and salutes Naruto and Tenten. "I'm very sorry for my actions. I had no idea that you were one of the leaders of this nation."

Just as Naruto is about to reply he notices a tall man wearing a white pair of pants as well as a matching vest over top a long-sleeved purple shirt, with a long overcoat resting on his shoulders currently walking towards them. Once the man reaches a close enough distance does Naruto see that he has a green and purple coloured sleep mask resting over his forehead. He has a head of dark hair.

The man looks from Naruto to Tenten. "May I ask why you were threatening one of my men with that knife young lady?" Asks the tall man who receives a glare from her. The marine who was just mentioned quickly saluted the tall man. "Admiral Aokiji! I'm sorry if the incident disturbed you. This incident is entirely my fault. I was currently apologizing before you got here sir!"

The admiral looks back towards the pair in surprise. "I apologize if my subordinate caused any offence towards either of you. Also if I may ask. Do either of you know the way to the town hall? Our government sent us to this land to make a request to the leaders."

Naruto raises an eyebrow in wonder. "It just so happens that there will be a meeting between the five leaders of our country going on this afternoon."

Aokiji puts his hands in his pockets. "That is certainly a good thing. This will save a great deal of time. By the way...ever since we arrived here I've been hearing talk about a war that happened 4-5 years ago in this land. Something about a force of hundreds of thousands of shinobi facing off against an army of immortals and some gigantic monster. Is that true?" He looks directly at Naruto with a questioning look on his face.

After a brief pause Naruto replies. "Ya. Ya its true. Now our nation is finally achieved this time of peace which we are all grateful for. Just as the rest of the world should be." Suddenly Naruto feels this strange tugging feeling that he has come to associate with someone throwing one of his Hiraishin kunai. "Sorry to cut this talk short but there's somewhere I have to be. But you'll find the town hall towards the centre of the city. Its the tallest building there you can't miss it." He then places a hand on TenTens shoulder and transports the two of them away leaving the Admiral and the marine shocked at their sudden disappearance.

"Well that was interesting. I wonder what kind of Devil Fruit he ate." Aokiji looks at his subordinate. "Do you mind going to get Sakazuki for me? Sengoku wanted us both to meet with the leaders." The marine salutes then heads off to find the other Admiral.

_'This is going to be a long day. I do hope Sakazuki will be able to keep his temper in check. Especially since we don't know the capabilities of these shinobi.'_ Aokiji thinks to himself as he waits for Sakazuki to join up with him.

XxX Towns Meeting Room XxX

In a brilliant flash of light Naruto and TenTen appear in front of the four other Kage and their bodyguards. "Yo I hope we're not late." Naruto says to everyone in the room.

"This is quite a surprise Uzumaki. I didn't think that Shikamaru was telling the truth about you mastering that jutsu." Says a muscular dark skinned man with white hair who only hand one arm.

"Yep I sure did. Although it was freaking hard to do so." Naruto says with a grin as he walks to what he believes to be his seat. "Well why don't we get started on this meeting? Since it seems that we may have a few guests soon." With that being said the other Kage look at the blond in confusion but just wave it off since they know they'll find out soon enough.

About an hour into the meeting someone knocks on the door. The Mizukage Mei tells them to enter since she was sitting closest to the door. The door then opens and a messenger walks through, after giving a quick bow to the group he announces his purpose for disturbing the meeting. "Lord Kages. There seem to be a a group in the lobby who request a meeting with you. They say its of the utmost importance."

"Called it." Naruto says as he reclines in his chair and placing his feet on the desk.

The other kage roll their eyes at Narutos comment and keep their eyes on the messenger. "Well since the meeting for today is practically over you might as well send them in. However they won't have long." Says the Raikage to the messenger to bows again before hurrying off to bring the group in.

"Naruto. Who are these people who wish to speak with us?" Asks the red haired Kazekage.

"I dunno that much about them honestly. Just that they call themselves marines." Naruto states.

The other Kage sit there wondering about the group coming to see them. After a wait of several minutes the group consisting of about a dozen men and women all dressed in the same white uniform come in surrounding a pair of tall individuals. The two tallest marines walk forward and sit in the two spots offered to them.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet us under such short notice. You may call me Aokiji and this is my associate Akainu. We both hold the position of Admiral for the World Government. The reason we've come here today is to invite your country to join up with the 170 other allied nations of the World Government." Aokiji says in a respectful tone as Akainu sits there with his arms crossed.

The kage sit there as they take in everything that was just said to them. The Raikage is the first of the kage to speak. "Our land has finally entered a time of peace where we are all united. And what happens if we refuse to join up with your so called World Government? Would your forces choose to attack us in response?" He asks with a stern look on his face.

Aokiji raises his hands in a nonthreatening manner and tries to reassure them. "No we have no intention of doing that. We just-" The other admiral who was wearing a red suit interrupts him by slamming a hand on the table. "Enough of that Kuzan. You people have no reason to refuse to join forces with us!"

Within a moment of Akainu smashing into the table, about ten shinobi appear in front of their respecting kage, each and everyone of them in a battle stance. "It would seem that you people are simply barbari-" Akainu starts but finds that he is unable to move his body. He looks over to Aokiji to find that he seems to be having a similar problem. "Just what the hell have you done to us?" He savagely asks.

Several dark tendrils surround both Admirals. "Your currently under my 'Shadow Possession' Jutsu. As you can see it makes an opponent immobile. If you continue to make yourselves a threat then we will be forced to treat you as such." Shikamaru threatens them.

Both the Admirals as well as the other marines reluctantly agree and are then released from the jutsu. However the bodyguards now move to stand just behind their leaders.

"That is one strange ability you possess young man. May I ask what kind of devil fruit you ate to give you such a skill.?" Aokiji curiously asks the black haired young man standing behind the blond he met earlier whos pupils seemed to have changed as well as gaining a strange orange tint around his eyes.

"Just what is a devil fruit?" Asked most of the shinobi in the room at the same time.

_'Just how dangerous are these shinobi?'_ Aokiji thinks to himself as a bead of sweat drops. He turns his gaze back to the marines standing behind him who seemed to be shaking. "Can one of you bring me a few transponder snails? I believe I asked some of the marines standing outside to bring some with us to the meeting." A couple marines quickly salute and race out of the room happy to be away from those dangerous shinobi.

Within a couple minutes the marines return with a bag. Aokiji reaches into the bag and pulls out a large snail with a microphone attached to it and sets it on the table. "This is what we call a transponder snail. Its used to talk to people from different places such as across the vast sea. I'd like to give these to you so if your country chooses to ally with the World Government you can just send us a message with it." He then proceeds to write down a variety of different numbers. "And this is a list of numbers you need to get a hold of the government as well as myself." He then stands up and motions to the others that its time to leave.

After Akainu and the other marines leave Aokiji stops at the door and looks back at the Kage. "I deeply apologize for Sakazukis actions. I hope that his actions haven't ruined the chance for your country to join with the World Government." He gives them a small bow before leaving. Once he leaves the Kage start a discussion on what to do about the current situation.

"So what should we do. Should we join their World Government? Or do what we can to stay out of it?" The Mizukage Mei asks of the others.

Gaara turns his gaze to her. "But we know next to nothing about them. It wouldn't be wise to do anything rash."

"Agreed. So just how should we deal with this?" Asks the Raikage.

Naruto readjusts his chair so he's back in a normal sitting position. "The solution is more simple than you think." He comments which confuses everyone else in the room.

"Just what do you mean by that Naruto?" Gaara asks.

"Its simple. We send someone to the open seas and find out as much about the workings of the World Government as possiable. And as for who would go I volunteer."

TenTen strikes Naruto over the head. "What the hell Naruto? Your the Hokage, you have an important job to do and can't just leave!" Everyone in the room nods in agreement.

"I know how it sounds but I have to be the one." Naruto says. He then proceeds to explain about the new prophecy as well as his reasons for leaving.

"But who will take over as Hokage in your absence? And when would you be leaving?" Mei asks.

"I plan on leaving within a week. And as for who would take over...I plan on giving my position to one Shikamaru Nara!" Naruto states.

"What the hell Naruto? There's no way I'm going to become Hokage!" Shikamaru says as he completely refuses.

The other kage look at one another not saying anything but nodding from to one another. The Tsuchikage Onoki looks at Shikamaru. "I think we can all agree that your a good choice for the position. Your both strong as well as quite cunning. Your a perfect fit for the job."

Shikamaru looks around the room as everyone nods in agreement before he lowers his head in reluctant acceptance. He then whispers in Narutos ear. "I assume this is because you know I told Sakura that you were gone?" Naruto nods with a smile. "Partially. But I know your a good pick for the job. Besides Konohamaru isn't ready for the job yet."

Naruto then stands up and prepares to leave. "Well I have a bunch of stuff to do before I leave. Such as gathering supplies like weapons and food. So I bid you all farewell. I'll return here before I leave in a week. Bye." He then leaves the room with Shikamaru and TenTen hot on his heels.

* * *

Ok I know I have only recently started this fic, but I have decided to make a poll on who will be in a relationship with Naruto. A link to the poll should be located on my profile. Also to answer a question asked earlier I will be having Naruto make his own crew which will consist of a few ninja who will join at different times and a bunch of people he meets on the high seas, and yes I've already decided on who they will be. However I'm still trying to decide who will be the doctor and cook on his ship. So If I can't think of one I may ask you the readers on who you want to take those jobs.


	3. Chapter 3

Not sure why but I decided to write another chapter today. However don't expect a new chapter every day. Now with that being said I hope you all enjoy the new chapter, and don't forget to review if you have any ideas or comments on it.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

The week goes by in a flash and the day of Narutos departure has finally arrived. Shinobi from all over the country have come to see their hero off and everyone is wondering the same things. Just who will be able to go with him as well as when he will return. The wait is soon over as they see their blond hero making his way to the harbour. He is surrounded by many of his close friends however only Naruto himself and one other seem to have any luggage with them.

"Wow there's so many of you to see me off!" Naruto exclaims happily as he comes to a stop before the five current Kage.

"Of course there is Naruto. To everyone here you are a hero. You are also my greatest friend Naruto. We will all miss you." Gaara says as he holds a hand out. Naruto does the same and shake hands with his friend.

The Raikage stands there and looks at the young man who had bowed down to him to protect a friend so many years ago whom was now a man. "Just don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed out there kid."

With a quick laugh Naruto replies. "You should know the answer to that already." He then leaps up onto the deck of the ship and looks out over the crowd. "In the past I said I wouldn't die until I became Hokage. Even though I've become Hokage I have a new vow to make. A request from my sensei the late and great Jiraiya also known as the Pervy Sage!" He stops talking for the moment and waits for the laughter to die out before continuing. "The request he made of me was to bring peace to the world, and I refuse to die before the time comes that the entire world shares the peace our land has gained. From what I've heard the world outside this land in incredibly vast so this mission will take a great many years but no matter what I will succeed! So I want everyone here to enjoy life and continue to protect one another."

A young lady sighs as she jumps up to join him. "Nice speech Naruto-kun. Now just how is it we're going to run this ship with just the two of us?"

"Easy."

'Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!' A couple dozen Naruto clones appear across the deck and take up various positions. A couple of the clones raise the anchor and others raise the sail. "Now we're off!" All the Narutos simultaneously yell out.

After some time of sailing they eventually loose sight of the Elemental Nations and are out on the open ocean. The real Naruto was standing at the Helm keeping the wheel steady. Eventually TenTen walks up from below deck to stand beside him. "So Naruto-kun, just where is it we're going to first?"

A couple minutes go by in silence so she looks at him with a questioning look on her face. She then notices that he's still staring straight ahead and is sweating profusely. TenTen then sighs as she asks him another question. "Let me guess...You have no idea...do you?" She waits for him to nod before she opens a scroll which summons up a metal staff which is then used to knock Naruto off his feet. She holds the tip to his throat. "I can't believe I got talked into going out to sea with you. Sometimes I actually forget what an idiot you are Naruto-kun.

He laughs weakly. "Sorry about that. But I did ask the guys who were stocking the ship to leave a few maps down below. I thought that they had some but it seems they don't. I figured that we can just buy a bunch of maps and charts from the first island we come to."

She rolls her eyes as she removes the staff and reseals it. "That is a good idea I guess. Not that we have a choice at this point. Also I was wondering. Why did you want me to come with you?"

Naruto gets up and straightens his sage coat. "Its because we're on the open sea. Since your so good with weapons I figured that you'd be able to take advantage of the cannons so we could defend ourselves at a distance. Cause I don't feel like going into my Tailed Beast mode and using the Bijudama. And before you ask its because I don't want to use Kuramas power unless I have to, as well as the fact of turning into a giant nine tailed fox will probably scare the shit out of innocent people."

TenTen sweat drops as she imagines how terrified people would probably get at the sight of it. "Ya I see your point." She then runs up the mast and jumps into the crows nest. "I'm just going to stay up here for the time being. I'll let you know if I see another ship or island."

"Alright sounds good." Naruto yells out to her.

After an entire day of sailing the sun finally sets. Narutos clones take down the sails and lower the anchor since they knew that it was dangerous to sail at night..

TenTen jumps down from the crows nest and lands on the deck. She leans back as she stretches. "So who'll take the first watch Naruto-kun?" She asks.

"My clones will for tonight. Now I guess its time to figure out who gets which room." Naruto says with a small but tired laugh. "It's probably better if we figure this out now than later."

Ten Ten looks up in the sky as she thinks about it. "Hmm...If I'm going to be in charge of the cannons and other weapons I want a room closer to the armoury. Also another room so I can store my seals, and another for any rare weapons I find and another-"

Naruto sweat drops as he listens to her go on before he's forced to interrupt her. "One sec TenTen. You know very well that you don't need that many rooms. I agree about you getting a room closer to the armory however we each only get one room. We can share a room for storing and making seals alright? Besides I'm sure we will find other people who want to help us so they will need room for their stuff as well." He explains to her which she reluctantly agrees.

They then proceed to go to their respective rooms and don't come out until dawn the next day.

A couple of days go by without them seeing either another ship or an island. On the fourth day a massive storm hits making travel for them impossible since everyone of Narutos clones kept sliding into one another is forcibly dispelling one another. They eventually choose to just drop anchor and try and wait out the storm. The storm lasts throughout the day and continues until late into the night. They both decide to just go to bed and clean up whatever mess there is in the morning.

XxX

The sun was just starting to rise as Naruto steps out into the open air and takes in a deep breath. "Guess this is a feeling I've still gotta get used to. The smell of the open ocean." Naruto looks around to make sure there was no damage to the ship. _'Might as well let TenTen-chan rest a little longer before we head out in an hour or so."_

Suddenly the faint sound of someone screaming for help fills the air. Naruto races to the crows nest to allow him a better view. He notices the form of someone desperately clinging to a chunk of driftwood. _'I wonder what happened to that person? Whatever the reason I better help.'_ He thinks to himself before leaping off the ship and landing on the surface of the water. Naruto dashes off in the direction of the shipwrecked person.

XxX

The person in question notices that the ship doesn't change direction and lowers her head as she seems to accept that she will die. "I guess they can't hear me. Man this sucks."

"What sucks?"

She suddenly looks up so see a blond haired man crouching down on the surface of the water looking her square in the eyes. She suddenly lets out a loud scream and lets go of her lifeline the piece of driftwood. "AAAAHHHHHHH!"

Naruto stands there a moment in disbelief as he tries to figure out whats going on he realizes that she isn't surfacing. "Shit don't tell me she can't swim." He yells out before diving in after her. He swims downward as fast as he can until he reaches her body and is surprised to notice she isn't even moving, just sinking with her eyes wide open.

He grabs her arm and races to the surface. One they reach the surface he quickly goes back to standing on the surface and he lifts her up and carries her bridal style as he makes his way back to the ship. But about halfway back she seems to regain semi-consciousness. Her gaze drifts from the hands around her to the water just below her. After seeing that she fully regains consciousness and lets out a scream and tries her best to get as far from the water as possiable...which just so happened to be on top of Narutos head.

With her struggling he stops walking and tries to calm her down but she eventually worms her way on top of his head and shoulders. "Umm...do you have to sit there miss?" He questions the soaking wet brunette on top of him.

"Of course it is! I despise water!" She yells out along with a hiss. She then looks around and only now realizes that the man she's sitting on was actually walking on the surface of the ocean. "Whoa what the hell? Just how are you walking ON the water?"

Not really sure how to explain this he simply replies with "Because I'm a shinobi. I've been able to do this for years. Now hang on tight...but don't choke me. I'm going to hurry and get us back aboard my ship." He waits for her to lean over and grip onto him before he takes off at full speed towards the ship. All the while hearing her scream in terror in his ear.

It wasn't until they reach the safety of the deck of the ship does she finally stop screaming and retract her nails from Narutos shoulders. She slowly crawls down from Naruto and steps down on the deck...which she then proceeds to kiss the deck.

The sound of someone stomping brings both Narutos attention as well as the young lady towards the door where TenTen kicks open the door. "What the hell is with all the noise this early in the morning Naruto! I swear if this is suppose to be a joke its not...funny." She yells our but trails off as she notices the soaking wet girl on the deck. "Ok what's up with the soaking wet chick?"

Naruto shrugs. "No idea. I noticed her clinging to a piece of driftwood out there and figured I better save her. Also umm...TenTen-chan?" She slightly tilts her head in wonder as he looks away with a tint of red on his cheeks. "Shouldn't you put something on? You could catch a cold being dressed like that."

"Huh? What do you mean by that Naruto-kun?" She asks before looking down and realizes that she's only wearing a pair matching red bra and panties. She covers up in horror and races back into the ship. "Dammit!" She screams as she runs back to her room.

"Well...I had no idea she wore those kind of undergarments." Naruto quietly says to himself as he tries to hid a grin.

"Just who are you guys?" Asks the young dark haired women.

Naruto points to himself. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. A shinobi from the Elemental Nations. The brown haired girl you just saw is called TenTen-chan she specializes in weapons."

"Well it's nice to meet you Naruto-san. I'm Lisanna. Thanks for saving me." She says as she gives him a light bow to show her appreciation.

"Its no problem at all. Also if you don't mind me asking. Why are you out at sea if you can't swim? Not only that why did you just sink and not even struggle?" Naruto asks as he leads her inside so she can dry herself off.

She looks down as he hands her a towel. "Its because I ate a devil fruit when I was younger."

Naruto goes to sit down an a nearby chair. "Ok just what exactly is a devil fruit? I've only heard about it once from some marine guy named Aokiji. But nothing more than that."

Lisanna cringes for a moment at the mention of the marines but then begins to dry off. "When someone eats a devil fruit it grants them power in one form or another. However its also a curse. It makes us unable to ever swim again, we loose all power when submerged in the water so we sink like an anchor." She explains.

As she explains this TenTen walks into the room wearing her usual outfit and she's carrying a change of clothes with her. "Huh. So that's what it is. Also here you go. Some warm and dry clothes. And if you like you could take a quick shower to rinse the seawater out of your hair." TenTen says as she passes the clothes over to Lisanna who then thanks her.

Lisanna exits the room and heads in the direction TenTen gave her. TenTen then sits across from Naruto. "Well she seems nice. But I do feel kind of sorry for her. Being unable to ever swim again and being out on the seas like this. It must be quite hard." She comments as she leans back in her chair.

"Ya. I wonder what her story is? Oh I wonder if she knows the way to the nearest island?" Naruto says as he leans forward.

"That is a good point. We should probably ask her about that." TenTen replies.

They then hear a strange knocking noise coming from the deck. TenTen gets up and walks towards the door. "I'll see what's making the racket." She then heads out onto the deck and shuts the door leaving Naruto alone.

Naruto then gets up and walks over to the pantry in the kitchen to get a cup of what he believes to be the worlds best dish. The breakfast of champions...Ramen. He decides to make enough for three so the girls couldn't ever say that he was selfish.

Soon after he finishes making the ramen does Lisanna come out wearing a blue blouse as well as blue shorts. "Whats that strange smell?" She asks as she walks into the room with her nose in the air trying to figure out whats making the strange odour.

Naruto looks back at her with a grin on his face. "Its the greatest dish in the world. Ramen! I decided to making some for us." He says as he sets a couple bowls on the table.

She cocks her head as she stares at the dish. "This doesn't look like it was made with fresh ingredients." She comments.

"Ya sorry about that. I'm actually a terrible cook. This is actually just instant ramen. I hope its not a big deal." Naruto says as he scratches the back of his head. She shrugs. "No its ok. I can't be too picky since you saved me and all." Lisanna sits down and starts eating the ramen.

Moments later TenTen comes back into the room with a hawk perched on her shoulder and a letter in her hand. "Hey Naruto-kun. It seems the Kazekage sent you a message." She passes the letter across the table after she sits down.

Naruto takes then letter and reads it. Upon completion he bangs his head on the table. "Dammit" He says to himself.

His head pounding brings a puzzled look from both TenTen and Lisanna. He eventually stops and turns his head up to look at them. "It seems as though just after we left the Kage had another meeting. It seems like they decided that we need a couple more people to come with us. Apparently the Mist, Cloud and Sand have each chosen someone to go with us. But at least we don't have to head back for awhile."

"Who have they chosen?" TenTen asks.

"Just what on earth is a kage? Thats what I want to know. I mean hello, mixed company." Lisanna exclaims in annoyance about being the only one not knowing whats going on.

"The Kage are the leaders of each separate major land in our country." Naruto quickly informs Lisanna before turning back to TenTen. "Now Gaara didn't tell me who they were each sending. Something about it being a surprise. But he asked if we could head back in a couple weeks to pick them up."

TenTen nods in understanding before proceeding to eat her ramen, but halfway through she stops and looks back up at Naruto. "Um..Naruto-kun? Please tell me that we have more food than just instant ramen." Naruto freezes once again and doesn't reply.

She sighs before finishing her bowl then throws it at Narutos head in anger. "Dammit Naruto! First you have us set sail without any maps and no idea where we're going. And now the only food we have is this damn instant ramen? Seriously Naruto-kun, if you pull one more stupid stunt like this then I'll start throwing kunai at you!" She states with the final part being more of a promise.

"You guys don't know where your going?" Lisanna asks in a worried tone.

Both Naruto and TenTen reluctantly nod.

Lisanna sighs as she rests her head on her hands. "I guess I can repay you for saving me by helping you navigate for the time being."

Naruto stands up and cheers in happiness. "Sweet you have no idea how amazing that is!"

"It seems picking you up was a good thing." TenTen tells Lisanna in a teasing voice. "So where's the closest town?"

"Hmm...If I recall the closest town to here should be Orange Town to the southwest. It should only take about a day or so to reach it." Lisanna informs them.

"Well Lets get going!" Naruto says as he heads out the door.

Both TenTen and Lisanna just sit there and watch him. Lisanna breaks the short silence. "Is he always like this?" She asks and gets a nod from TenTen. "Unfortunately he is. Well we better head out there."

The two women make their way to the deck.

* * *

Just wanted to quickly remind you all about the poll regarding possiable relationships for Naruto. I made it so I know what you the readers prefer. And no I don't intend on every women on the ship to be in love with Naruto.


	4. Chapter 4

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

By dawn the next day TenTen finally manages to see the outline of an island in the horizon. She leans over the edge of the crows nest to call down to Lisanna who was currently steering the ship. "Hey Lisanna-chan. I see an island. Off to the starboard side."

Lisanna looks up as she adjusts the direction the ships heading. "Thanks TenTen-chan. Hopefully there's someplace where you guys can buy charts, maps and other navigational equipment you will need for your voyage...As well as actual food and not this weird ramen stuff." She calls up.

With a quick giggle TenTen then responds. "We might as well. Also do you mind showing us just what we need to buy?" The burnette below smiles. "Ya I guess I can help you with that at least."

TenTen then notices that someone seems to be missing. "Umm...Lisanna-chan? Do you happen to know where Naruto-kun is?"

"Last I checked he was in his room. He said something about getting inspiration and had to do some writing." Lisanna says with a curious look on her face as she resumes looking straight ahead. "I wonder what he's writing about?"

"Writing? Inspiration?" Comes a faint voice causing Lisanna to look back up in wonder.

"Is something wrong?" Lisanna asks as she notices that TenTens face is now beet red.

"That bastard. He better not be doing what I think he is." TenTen exclaims as she leaps back down to the deck of the ship causing Lisanna to jump in surprise. TenTen opens the door and makes her way deeper into the ship, stomping all the way.

"I wonder what she's embarrassed about?" Lisanna says with a shrug.

Moments later a loud crashing noise causes Lisanna to jump once more in surprise. The distinct noise of TenTen screaming in fury echos throughout the ship.

"YOU BASTARD! I WARNED YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU DID ONE MORE STUPID THING NARUTO-KUN!"

"But TenTen-chan I haven't done anything wrong! I didn't even write your name! OUCH! HEY DON'T THROW THOSE AT ME!"

Suddenly an orange blur appears out on deck, races up the steps and hides behind Lisanna. "Hey what the? What are you doing Naruto-san? AHH! Watch what your grabbing!"

TenTen then appears in front of them with a handful of kunai knives in one hand and several shuriken in the other. "Naruto how dare you use her as a shield. Just come out and take your punishment like a man!" She screams at Naruto who was currently crouching behind Lisanna with his hands on her hips.

"Come on TenTen-chan! Like I said I didn't put your name in the book. And you know I have to preserve my masters legacy." Naruto says as he peeks around Lisannas figure trying to make the best case he can.

When looking into TenTens eyes there appears to be a flames coming forth from them. "I know you have to preserve Jiraiyas legacy...but not with damn ero-books! Now listen carefully Lisanna. Don't move a muscle. I cannot guarantee not to hit you if you don't heed my warning!" As TenTen says this she crosses her arms as she prepares to throw her weapons at Naruto who was still behind the innocent Lisanna.

"Uh...TenTen-chan...please tell me your not serious?" Lisanna asks with a worried look on her face. But notices the muscles in TenTens arms are tensed up signifying that she's preparing to hurl her deadly weapons. "AHHH" she screams as the knives are thrown.

All Naruto and TenTen see is a black blur shoot from Lisannas position, towards the mast and all the way up towards the crows nest."

The pair pause as they wonder where she went. But not wanting to waste the oppertunity of an exposed Naruto TenTen quickly unleashes her barrage of weapons at him. In his moment of confusion he only manages to dodge several of them before a couple manage to pierce his arms which he used to shield himself.

Once the barrage ends with Naruto sitting on his ass and trying to pull out the few kunai that managed to pierce into him. "Damn TenTen-chan. I know I heal fast but still that doesn't mean the pain is diminished." His gaze then drifts to the crows nest. "Also. Just what the hell was that blur?"

TenTen shrugs as she picks up her leftover weapons and seals them away. "No idea. I guess we should check it out."

The pair slowly walk up the mast to find a surprising sight curled up in a little black ball. "Is that you Lisanna?" They both asked at the same time. The ball stirs a little before it unfurls itself to be a young lady that looks a lot like Lisanna. That is if Lisanna had short black fur covering her entire body except for her chest and stomach which had a lighter colour, little black cat ears perched on her head as well as a long black tail sticking out of her shorts. On her face there seemed to be long whiskers.

The figure suddenly leaps up and proceeds to scratch six cross shaped lines across both Naruto and TenTens faces before landing on the opposite side of the crows nest in a crouching position. "JUST WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" The pair yell as they cover their faces in pain.

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT THAT WAS FOR JERKS! NARUTO-SAN JUST WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU USE ME AS A SHIELD. AND TENTEN-CHAN HOW DARE YOU THROW THOSE KNIFE THINGS AT ME!" The cat-girl yells out before a long drawn-out and threatening hiss.

Naruto finally moves his hands away from his face so he can get a better look at Lisanna and is quite surprised to say the least. After a short pause he points at her. "Wow your an actual cat-girl!" He states with an incredible look on his face.

Lisanna sweat drops as she stares at Naruto. At that moment TenTen finally removes her hands from her face. "Naruto-kun what are you going on abou-" She starts to saw before getting a good look at Lisannas form. "Whoa. You were right Naruto-kun. She is a cat-girl."

After short pause the two suddenly wonder just why she has that form. TenTen is the first to speak up. "Ok stupid question. But um...how are you a cat-girl Lisanna?"

Lisanna lowers her head but keeps eye contact with TenTen. "You remember when you asked about devil fruit?" The pair nods signifying they remember. "Ok and unless your stupid, you must have figured out I ate one as well. The one I ate is a Zoan type. The Cat-Cat fruit model: Panther."

Naruto cocks his head to the side in confusion. "Whats a zoan type?"

Before Lisanna can reply, TenTen raises a hand. "Umm...Why don't we resume this conversation inside the ship? I'd actually like to treat this wound as soon as I can." She says as she points at the scratches across her face.

Everyone else nods in agreement. Naruto and TenTen choose to just jump straight down to the deck of the ship. Lisanna on the other hand chooses to jump from separate parts of the ship to make her way down. The three then make their way back into the kitchen.

By the time they're all seated with Lisanna insisting on sitting across from them. "Ok. There are three different types of devils fruit. 1. Logia which can turn a person into an element such as fire but also allows them to control that specific element. 2. Paramecia which mostly just give the person superhuman physical abilities or powers. There's too many different types of this to go into much detail. And finally the type I have. 3. Zoan. This kind can turn a person into an animal like in my case, a panther. For Zoans we have three forms. Our original human form, our animal form, and a hybrid form which is what I'm currently in." She explains as slowly as possiable so that she wouldn't have to repeat herself.

TenTen nods in understanding however it looks like Naruto was still a little confused but luckily managed to get the gist of what she meant. "These devil fruit seem quite interesting." Naruto says with obvious interest. "Oh that reminds me. Is the reason that after I pulled you out of the water the other day you were quick to climb onto my head and shoulders. Is that because your literally a cat? Since they seem to hate water?"

Lisanna growls a little at the comment but still nods. "Ya..."

"Thought so!" Naruto states before he bursts out laughing. TenTen rolls her eyes at Naruto then smiles at Lisanna in a friendly manner. But after a short while of this Lisanna slams her hand on the table. "Ok seriously what the hell?" She asks is an angry tone.

"What's the matter Lisanna-chan?" TenTen asks. "Did we do something wrong?"

"Yes somethings the matter! Why the hell aren't you guys freaked out by this? Just about everyone else I've met were freaked out and some even tried to attack me! All just because I'm...different." She states as her voice takes on a deeper sadness.

Once she says this TenTens gaze drifts over to Naruto who completely stops laughing and looks at Lisanna with understanding. She notices this and is quite confused by their reactions. "What? What's with those looks? I can understand if you think I'm a freak and once we reach the island I have no problem leaving you guys alone. I never wanted this. I NEVER WANTED TO BE A MONSTER!" She gasps for breath after her short rant. Lisanna then stands up and makes her way for the door only to be stopped when a pair of arms envelope her.

"Your not alone Lisanna-chan. And your not a monster either." Naruto says in a low voice. Lisanna just stands there and begins to shake as tears start running down her face. She then breaks out of Narutos grip and races outside.

"Lisanna-chan..."

TenTen walks up to Naruto and places a hand on his shoulder to try and reasure him. "Naruto-kun...its ok. Let me talk to her. And don't worry. I won't say anything about Kurama. I'll leave that talk to you when the time comes." Naruto nods in understanding and watches as she walks out of the room to follow after Lisanna.

"TenTen-chan...thanks. I'm going back to my room for a bit. Let me know when we get there or if you need any help." Naruto quietly says. TenTen pauses at the door just long enough to give him a quick nod and a glare that promised pain if he continued his writing, before leaving the room.

XxX

Back on deck TenTen walks out and begins looking for the elusive cat-girl. After spending a few minutes looking around she eventually finds Lisanna sitting back in the crows nest with her arms wrapped around her legs as she cries.

With slow and careful movements TenTen slowly sits down beside Lisanna and gently rubs her back with one hand. After a minute or so Lisanna eventually leans over and rests her head on TenTens shoulder. "Why? Why do you guys act as if you care?" She says in between sobs.

"I don't know how other people have treated you and I can't say I've ever known the feeling of being hated for no reason. Although...Naruto-kun does. He knows it better than anyone." TenTen says as she wraps her arm around Lisanna and pulls her in closer.

"How so?"

"Its because back in our hometown. Our village...for a reason he never knew. He was hated and despised just for being alive. Ever since the day he was born." TenTen quietly explains.

Hearing that Lisanna pulls away a little and looks into TenTens eyes in an attempt to see if she's telling the truth. "How can that be? How can people hate someone ever since the day of their birth?"

"Sadly that's not for me to say. You'll have to ask Naruto-kun the details about that. But trust me he's suffered many hardships over the years, yet I've hardly ever seen him cry about it." TenTen says as she looks at Lisanna. "Also, you don't have to tell us your past if you don't want to. We can wait till you feel comfortable with telling us. There's no rush."

Lisanna looks down at her knees again as she thinks about what TenTen just told her. "So...your telling me he understands my pain?"

"Yes, and if he get his way he will probably try to take on your pain as well as shouldering his own. Its an unfortunate habit he picked up during the last war."

Lisannas ears perk up in wonder at the mention of war. "War? What war?"

TenTen shakes her head. "Its a war that happened back in our country a few years back. By the end of it Naruto-kun was considered a hero to everyone across the nation." With that being said TenTen helps Lisanna stand up and uses a cloth to dry her tears. "There you go. Now lets go back down and finish bringing the ship into port."

She cat-girl nods as she proceeds to make her way back down to the deck. TenTen quickly joins her. "I'll be right back with Naruto-kun. You don't have to worry about treating him different. If possiable just act how you normally would." She says with quick smile before disappearing into the depths of the ship.

_'So he was also treated like a monster? But unlike me he suffered his entire life...I wonder why his parents didn't help him?'_ Lisanna thinks to herself as she makes her way to the helm to resume steering the ship.

A minute or so later both Naruto and TenTen come back onto the deck and take up various positions around the ship. TenTen turns to Naruto with a grin. "Well Captain. Why don't you show Lisanna your special skill?"

"Good idea TenTen-chan. It'll help us travel faster as well. Naruto says as he grins first at TenTen then to Lisanna.

'Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!'

Two dozen exact clones on Naruto appear in different locations of the deck causing Lisannas jaw to drop in disbelief. "What the hell?"

The original Naruto stands at the centre of the deck and makes an announcement to his clones. "Ok everyone now listen up! I want you all to listen to whatever Lisanna-chan has to say since she's the expert when it comes to sailing the seas!" With that being said every single clone salutes the original as well as Lisanna and say. "Got it Boss!"

TenTen looks down from the crows nest and smiles. _'This should be an interesting trip. Especially if Lisanna-chan chooses to stay with us. Honestly, I really hope she does.'_


	5. Chapter 5

Just so you all know I will try to update whenever I get the chance, however since I work during the week I may not be able to upload every day or so but I will do what I can. Also to answer a question some of you have. Yes I chose the name Lisanna because of the influence of Fairy Tail. However I had planned out her character from the beginning but sadly I couldn't come up with a good enough name, so I ended up looking around my room for any idea and my eyes fell upon a recent Fairy Tail book i have finished reading a short time ago. So ya I since I liked the character Lisanna I figured I should use her name for my OC.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

At their current pace, Naruto and company quickly make it to the port known as Orange Town. Once the ship pulls up to the dock and Naruto jumps off the ship to secure it beside a pair of much smaller vessels. As soon as that's done Naruto turns around and takes a moment to enjoy the view of the town before him. Breathing a sigh of relief as well as a quick stretch as he thinks to himself. _'Ah I missed this feeling. The feeling of being on solid ground again.'_

In no time at all TenTen jumps down from the deck to join him, Lisanna on the other hand who was currently in her human form insisted on using the rope ladder. TenTen turns to Lisanna. "So do you know where we can buy that equipment here Lisanna-chan?" The dark haired women looks around a little. "I've only been here once or twice before but I think I remember. But umm...don't you think something seems a little off about the town?"

"Now that you mention it. It seems quiet...almost too quiet." TenTen says as she begins to survey their surroundings. Suddenly the explosive sound of a cannon firing fills the air. He pair of Shinobi immediately react to the sound as TenTen races to the top of a nearby building and hiding behind a chimney to try and locate the cannon. Naruto on the other hand took a moment to push Lisanna behind some crates to hid her before he leaps atop the fox figurehead of the ship.

Naruto was just in time to see a red cannon ball shooting directly towards his ship, and without a moment to spare he quickly takes out a pair of his hiraishin kunai and hurls one to the side of the ship then holds the other directly in front of him in the cannon balls path.

To Naruto whom was still in the line of fire, time almost appeared to slow down as the explosive ball makes its way towards his outstretched hands. A moment before the ball makes impact it suddenly disappears and instantly reappears at the other kunais location. Which regretfully was just in front of the two smaller vessels that were situated beside his ship.

The red ball crashes into the smaller vessels and instantly explodes causing them to break into thousands of tiny pieces and it ultimately sinks. Narutos gave drifts to the pair of destroyed vessels. _'That was a close one. Damn it, I could have thrown the kunai further away if I had even a moment longer. Well I just hope that the owners of those ships will forgive me...if I ever meet them that is.'_ He then leaps back off the ship and goes to help a confused and rattled Lisanna up.

"You alright Lisanna-chan?" Naruto asks her as he places a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. She looks at him in wonder on account of the fact she saw just what he did. "How did you do that?" She quietly asks him.

He grins at her. "Its because I'm a shinobi. Didn't I tell you that already?" He says with a quick wink. Naruto then turns to TenTens location. "Hey TenTen-chan! I'm going to find out who attacked us. So can you keep and eye on the ship as well as protect Lisanna-chan?" He waits for her to give him a signal that she will. Once he sees her giving said signal he quickly turns to Lisanna. "I'll be back soon."

With that being said he races off in the direction of the shooter.

XxX

Using the skills he acquired as a shinobi he makes good time racing through the town until he reaches a large building with a cannon partially hanging over the edge. _'This must be the place. I wonder what asshole shot at me. Well one way or another he is going to regret that.'_ He then prepares to leap onto the roof of the building but is stopped when he hears the angry battle cry of an old man carrying a spear of all things. He turns his head in confusion, wondering just what the old man wearing what would appear to be make-shift armour is doing here.

"BUGGY THE CLOWN! COME OUT...!" The old mad screams out as he waves his spear around from his front to his side.

As Naruto was staring in confusion to the strange old man, he almost fails to notice another man on the rooftop wearing makeup and had a big red nose. Narutos jaw almost drops from the ridiculous look of the man on the rooftop. _'Just...what the hell...is that?'_ He thinks to himself before he shakes his head in an attempt to regain his previous train of thought.

The old man resumes his rant. "I'm this villages leader! Chief Boodle! Come down here and fight me!" He clenches his spear in anger as more men walk into sight on the rooftop, everyone of them were laughing at him. The man with the big red nose called Buggy went to the edge of the rooftop and cracked an evil grin at the man. "Do you even know who I am villager? I'm the great pirate Buggy the Clown! So unless you want to die flashily, then get the hell outta here! I'm was trying to enjoy myself by blowing up crap in this town as well as the port before you interrupted my fun."

"How dare you! This town is-" The old man starts to say before a blond haired man in a long red coat steps in front of him.

Naruto points a finger at Buggy. "Hey just whats your problem big nose? That was my ship you shot at you bastard! And I intend to make you pay for that!" Several tic marks cover Buggys forehead as soon as he hears that comment. "JUST WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG NOSE YOU BLOND WHISKER FACED FREAK!" Now it was Narutos turn to have a tic form on his forehead. "HEY! NOBODY INSULTS MY WHISKER MARKS YOU BASTARD!"

As Naruto and Buggy exchange a barrage of insults a trio consisting of a orange haired young lady, a swordsman with green hair and a dark haired boy wearing a straw hat walk into view. The straw hat wearing boy walks forward towards the old man. "Hey ojii-san! There you are." He then notices Naruto standing there yelling at Buggy. "Huh? Hey who's that? Do you guys know him?"

The sound of the new arrivals make both Naruto and Buggy temporarily forget about one another long enough to take a look at them. The village elder takes the moment of silence to resume his rant. "Like I was saying you clown bastard. The town is my treasure and I won't let the likes of you to destroy it!" He then hurls the spear in Buggy direction. However he wasn't strong enough to it only makes is part-way up the building. The clown look at the spear embedded in the building quite a ways below his location. He then proceeds to point and laugh at the man. "Your so pathetic old man. I'm going to be the man who's going to get his hands on everything that glitters in this world! This town is just an eyesore and deserves to be destroyed!"

He gives a thumbs down sign as his men prepare another one of those strange red cannon balls and prepare to shoot it at the old man. Buggy sneers at him again as he gives his men an order. "Shoot the old fart!" The men then proceed to light it. Moments later the cannon fires. But just as Naruto prepares to redirect this cannon ball the kid in the straw hat jumps in the way. He then proceeds to take in a deep breath and his body expands into the shape of an oversized balloon. "GUM GUM...BALLOON!" The boy yells out just before the ball comes in contact with his body and is quickly shot back.

The cannon ball strikes the roof of the building just under Buggys feet and detonates causing the clown and his entire crew to get propelled into the air where they eventually fall back to the earth...hard.

Naruto sweat drops as he stares in disbelief at the kid. "Just who are you and what the hell was that you just did?" Naruto finally manages to ask.

The kid looks at him and moves his hand to his mouth, then he stretches his mouth out. "I'm a rubber man because I ate the Gum Gum devil fruit."

"Ok...that just answered one question. Now who are you?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be king of the pirates!" The lad called Luffy openly proclaims with the utmost confidence.

_'Pirate king? I didn't know that pirates actually had a king?'_ Naruto thinks to himself before turning to the pair that followed to boy. "And you guys are?"

The orange haired girl looks at him. "I'm Nami."

The green haired man looks up as well. "Roronoa Zoro."

As the pair give their quick introductions, the old man decides to try taking a run at Buggys downed group. But just as he takes his first step Luffy suddenly slams the old mans head into a wall causing him to loose consciousness, much to everyone surprise.

Nami takes a couple steps towards Luffy. "What the hell was that for? Why did you do that to the old man?" She loudly asks him.

Luffy just looks at her. "Its cause he would just get in the way and hurt himself."

Naruto scratches the back of his head in slight confusion as to just what was going on. "Ok whatever, you guys take care of the old man. But that red nosed bastard is mine. I have to pay him back for what he almost did to my ship." He says as he walks towards the rubble.

Hearing the usual trigger, Buggy bursts out of the rubble and screams in anger at Naruto. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG NOSED!"

'Ok this is seriously getting old.' He thinks to himself as he reaches into his kunai holster. "Ok one question pirate. Are you strong? Or will my first real fight since leaving the Elemental Nations be with another weakling?"

Buggy mouth drops in disbelief. "Elemental Nations? Your from THAT place?" He says in disbelief. But then wave his hand trying to dismiss the thought. "No you can't be from that legendary place. Few ever manage get anywhere near that godforsaken land."

"Huh? What do you mean by that Buggy?" Naruto asks in wonder but keeps his hand at his kunai holster.

"Are you some kinda moron blondie? Stories have said that there is a massive turtle with three tails that guards the coast and destroyed every ship that passes by. In fact the only ship I've heard that managed to get anywhere near that place in the last dozen years was a damn marine vessel."

"Oh you mean with some guys called Aokiji and Akainu?"

"Yes that's right boy." Buggy starts to say but goes silent for several moments before leaping back in horror. "WHAT? JUST HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

Naruto tilts his head to the side in confusion. As he replies. "That's cause I met them there. They came to try and convince my country to join up with something they call the world government." He then shrugs and continues, ignoring the looks of astonishment from everyone minus Luffy. "But honestly I figured I should go out to sea and find out more information on them before we make a discision."

Buggy stands up straight and tries his best to think up a plan.

"But that's enough talk. I still owe you for attacking my ship." He then pulls out a hiraishin kunai and throws it in Buggys direction. He then makes a few hand signs.

"Multi Shadow Kunai Jutsu!"

The hiraishin kunai that Naruto just threw suddenly multiplies and embeds itself in the rubble surrounding Buggy. Buggy separates into multiple pieces in an effort to dodge the few that get too close. He then starts laughing. "Wow your aim is horrible! Not even one of these strange knives managed to even nick me. If this is the skill level of someone from the Elemental Nations then I should make that place my next target!"

A grin is plastered across Naruto face. "They weren't meant to hit you Buggy. Their purpose is to ensure you have no escape!" Everyone looks on in doubt because every single one of the kunai were embedded in the rubble. Anyone would have an easy time of moving past them...or so they thought.

With a quick smile Naruto suddenly vanishes in a flash of yellow light and instantly appears directly behind Buggy. "Sorry but you'd not getting off easy...Big Nose." Naruto says as he punches Buggy in the back and sends him flying forward but Naruto once again appears beside him and strikes him again. He repeats the process for about two minutes and stops once Buggy has gained several shades of black and blue all over his body.

Naruto comes to a stop standing just in front of Buggys beaten and unconscious body. "Well I feel better now." He says as he brushes the dirt and blood off his hands. He looks over to Luffys group. Nami and Zoros jaws have dropped in complete and utter disbelief. Luffy on the other hand...well his eyes looked to be in the shape of stars and they were sparkling full force. "Wow that was amazing! You have to join my crew!" He happily says to Naruto.

"Uh...no thanks. Now if you excuse me. I have to find some charts for my upcoming journey." Naruto turns around and starts walking back to the port.

XxX

At his current leisurely pace it only takes Naruto a couple minutes to make his way back to his ship. He stops just in front of the ship. "Alright TenTen-chan. Everything's fine. I already took care of the guy who shot at us."

Once the words leave his mouth TenTen quickly appears at his side. "That's good Naruto-kun. Then again I'm sure we both knew that you'd have an easy time with it." She says with a smile.

"Yep. Pretty damn easy...although I admit I am disappointed in how weak that pirate captain was." He looks around to find someone missing. "Umm...where's Lisanna-chan?"

"Over here Naruto-san."

Naruto looks in the direction of the voice to see Lisanna in her cat-girl form perched on a nearby rooftop looking down at him."Ah there you are. So where did you take off to?" Naruto asks.

Lisanna looks away as she blushes a little. "I thought I should check some of the nearby stores for some charts. I took what we needed and left some money for them. Then I was kinda worried about you so I kinda went off on my own to to watch your fight...which was amazing." She quietly says.

"Ah alright then. Just as long as your alright. So how about we get back on board? I think its time to leave." Naruto says as he leaps back onto the ship.

The group is quick to prepare for their departure. However just as they're about to shove off the trio from earlier come running down the street all carrying a couple large bags, with a mob of people not too far behind them.

"What the hell Luffy! Why would you tell them that we're pirates! Now we have to hurry out of here before...-" She starts to say but comes to a complete stop at the docks. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY SHIP?" She yells out.

"Huh...looks like its destroyed...HEY ZORO! OURS IS GONE TOO!" Luffy exclaims.

Nami frantically looks around in hopes of finding another vessel but sadly doesn't see one...except for the one large ship a short ways away with a blond haired man leaning against the railing watching them.

She starts waving her hand as she races in his direction still carrying her baggage. "Hey blondie! Can you please help us get out of here? It seems like Buggy destroyed our ships."

Naruto sweat drops as he recalls that he was the one indirectly responsible for the destruction of their ships. Knowing he doesn't have much choice he lowers his head in defeat. "Fine...But only until the next island."

A happy smile crosses her face as she reaches the ship. With a sigh of defeat Naruto leaps down to the dock and reaches for her large bag with she very hesitantly hands to him. With one hand on her bags he then lifts her up and throws her over his shoulder so she was facing towards his back. "Hang on." He says before leaping back up to the deck of the ship causing her to scream in surprise and fright at his sudden action.

Zoro quickly races up the rope ladder as Luffy shoots his way to the deck. "Wow this ship's amazing!" Luffy happily exclaims as he looks the ship over.

"I have to admit its a lot better than our previous one...plenty of legroom at least." Zoro says.

"Well you guys might as well find something to do. We're shoving off." TenTen says to them before racing up the mast to the crows nest.

_'This is going to be a long but interesting journey.'_ Naruto thinks as he looks at the group.

* * *

Last thing. I'm sure that some of you are wondering as to who the kage will be sending to join Naruto. Well I'll tell you all this much...They will be introduced before Naruto enters the Grand Line. So it won't be too long till then...however I won't be giving any hints as to whom they will be. Sorry but you will all just have to wait till then :P


	6. Chapter 6

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

Unlike before where the ship would mostly travel in silence, now it was the complete opposite. The brief moments of silence would be abruptly broken as TenTen chased Luffy out of the kitchen every hour or so since he was constantly stealing food.

By now TenTen was fully aware that blunt attacks had no effect on Luffy however, much to his dismay TenTen was a weapons expert and had expert aim. Luffy spent every moment that wasn't spent eating of sleeping, just running for his very life as she was hurling kunai and shuriken at him constantly.

"Dammit Luffy-san! How many times do I have to chase you out of OUR kitchen!" She screamed as she dashed around the ship hurling her weapons at the pirate from practically every possible angle. How he managed to dodge so many just astounded Naruto and pissed off TenTen even more. "One more time Luffy-san! One more time and I'll be setting traps that will be able to kill even you!"

Naruto stayed at the helm of the ship as he watched the pair dart back and forth. He turns towards the orange haired girl vixen. "Is he always like this?" He asks her.

She just shrugs. "No idea. I just met him back there in Orange Town. But I certainly hope he isn't. It would be more than enough to drive a girl crazy!"

Naruto chuckles at her comment. "True...although in my experience crazy isn't always a bad thing. It does make things more interesting." He tells her causing the girl to cock an eyebrow in wonder.

Her lips form a small yet sly smile as she looks at Naruto. "So you telling me that you have experience with crazy girls?"

"Ya you could say that again." Naruto says. "Though there are times that I'm surprised that they haven't managed to killed me yet." He shudders as he says the last bit.

Nami looks at him in curiously as she tries to figure out his meaning, but in the end she figures that its not that important. "There was something else I was wondering about Naruto-san. Earlier during your conversation with Buggy you said something about meeting a couple of marine Admirals. Was that true? And if so for what reason did you meet them?"

"Ya I did meet them. It was on the day where there was a yearly meeting of the kage from the five strongest nations in our country. And before you ask a kage is what we call our villages leaders who just so happen to be the strongest shinobi in the land. Anyways one of the admirals called...Aokiji I believe, asked where he could find the town hall so he could set up a meeting for inviting our country to ally itself with this world government. But we don't know anything about it so I volunteered to go out to sea and get as much information about it as I can so we can make our discision on the matter."

Nami nods her head in understanding. "So your out here as a diplomat of sorts?"

Narutos gaze drifts upwards for a moment as he thinks about it. "I guess you could say that. However I already had plans to head out to sea. This just gave me a better reason."

Nami leans back against the railing closest to wheel to be more comfortable as she both listens to the strange but interesting man who was more than capable of disappearing and then reappearing in a flash of light. "And what was that reason?" She asks as she wonders why a man such as himself would leave his homeland.

Naruto sighs as he turns to look her in the eye. "I know your going to laugh about this but..its to bring peace to the world." He watches as she cocks an eyebrow in wonder but continues. "My master wanted to bring peace to this world of ours. However he died long before that could be accomplished. He left that mission to me and in the past few years since his death I managed to bring peace to our entire nation."

"Hmm...normally I would laugh at such a concept like bringing peace to the world but...when I look into your eyes I can almost feel like you could." Nami tells him as she retains eye-contact between the two.

By this point Lisanna walks up the steps towards the pair. "I do agree with Nami-san, Naruto-san. So what do your parents have to say about this journey of yours?" She asks since she has been thinking about it ever since her talk with TenTen.

The smile leaves Narutos face as he breaks eye-contact with Nami and looks out at sea for a moment before he quietly replies. "I'm sure they would be proud. But sadly I can't ask them." Both Nami and Lisanna wonder the same thing. _'Why can't he ask them?'_

After a short pause he looks at the two of them. "I can't ask them because...they both died the day I was born." Once he says this Lisanna covers her mouth in horror with both hands. Nami goes a little pale as she also covers her mouth, but with only one hand. Lisanna then cautiously walks over to Naruto but is unsure about how to reassure him.

Naruto then gives them both a smile. "Its ok. I already came to terms with their deaths years ago. And even though my childhood was anything but pleasant, I know that they died protecting me and you may not believe it but...I was eventually about to see them again when I was older. Although it was only for a few moments."

"Umm...Naruto-san? That can't be possible. I mean...once your dead your well...dead." Nami says as she looks at Naruto as she thinks about what she would give to see her mother Bellemere for even a moment.

"I know. But through a use of seals they were able to leave a...I guess you could almost call it a memory or impression of them. They let me know how proud they were of me, and how much they believed in me." Naruto quietly explains. "However...its regrettable but there is a way to bring back the dead...but not in the way your thinking."

As Naruto says this Zoro immediately wakes up from his nap and focuses on their conversation. "What do you mean by that?" He asks in an almost demanding voice.

"Through a forbidden technique called the Impure World Resurrection. It involves bringing back the souls of the dead and involves a human sacrifice. And when the person is revived they are at the casters mercy plus they have no control over their own actions. During the war in my homeland this one guy called Kabuto used this technique to bring back many of the strongest warriors from the past and had them fight against their own children and loved ones." Naruto says as his hand clenches in anger on the wheel. His gaze drifts to Zoro. "Picture this. Your stuck fighting against someone you either love or is very close to you. And no matter what you do their bodies just keep regenerating since they're immortal. Not fun at all...now I'm sorry but lets drops this subject." Naruto then turns back to the open sea.

Zoro, Nami and Lisanna all look away as they realize how horrible such a thing would be.

After a few more moments of silence Lisanna slowly walks behind Naruto and wraps her arms around him in a comforting manner. "I'm so sorry Naruto-san. I didn't mean to bring back such painful memories." Naruto looks back a little. "I know. Besides if I'm right, both Nami-san and you have also lost your parents."

Nami flinches for a moment before looking into his eyes again. _'How does he know that?'_ She wonders.

"Hey Naruto-kun! It looks like another messenger bird is coming!" TenTen calls down to them.

"Huh? Oh thanks TenTen-chan." Naruto says before he carefully releases himself from Lisanna and motions for Nami to take the wheel. He then walks over to the railing with an arm outstretched. The messenger hawk wastes no time in landing on the arm. Naruto removes the letter in the small canister on its leg and opens it up.

After reading it he turns in TenTens direction. "It seems those Admirals have sent a message to the kage using those strange snails. Garra is asking us to return as soon as possible so I can be included in their discussion. But I'm just going to use the Hiraishin jutsu and head back there myself so do you mind being in charge while I'm gone TenTen-chan?"

She then nods. "Of course Naruto-kun."

"Thanks." Naruto says to her before turning to Lisanna and Nami. "Sorry but I have to take off for a bit. But I shouldn't be gone too long...maybe a couple hours to a day or so at the most." He then vanishes in a flash of light leaving not a trace that he was even there.

Both Lisanna and Nami watch in surprise as Naruto vanishes, neither of them even close to being used to such a technique.

_'I wonder if I should ask Naruto-san to help me to find my brother? Would he even be willing to?'_ Lisanna thinks to herself as she just stares at Narutos previous location.

XxX

The kage were currently sitting in a crescent shaped table facing a large screen that a snail was projecting an image of a man with dark hair and a braided beard. "Thank you for coming together like this. I know it was sudden but I greatly appreciate your quick response to my earlier message." The man says.

"Its not a problem Sengoku-san. But if this call is about what our decision is regarding the joining of your world government, I'm sorry but we were still discussing it." Gaara addresses the man on screen.

The man on screen nods in understanding. "That's quite understandable and I don't expect an immediate answer. Especially with Admiral Akainus earlier rudeness." The man then looks in Shikamarus direction. "That looks to be in unusual weapon you have there."

Shikamaru smiles at the Fleet Admiral as he twirls the trident shaped kunai between his fingers. "True. And the one who uses it is even more so."

No sooner those words leave Shikamarus lips does Naruto suddenly appear in a flash of light on top of him. With there being no stable ground Naruto ends up crashing into the dark haired shinobi causing the two of them to crash into the ground.

"Ugh what the hell was- ah Naruto I should have known it was you. I can only assume you got our message?" Shikamaru says as he glares at the blonde who was laying on top of him.

"Huh? Oh Shikamaru! Sorry about that." Naruto says as he gets off of him and the pair then proceed to stand up.

"...I'll assume this is the owner of that unusual weapon?" Sengoku says as he sweat drops at the sight.

A small smile crosses Gaaras face as he turns away from the sight and resumes his gaze at the screen. "Yes this is its owner. The previous Hokage Naruto Uzumaki." He explains to Sengoku.

The Raikage shakes his head at Naruto before looking at the screen. "Yes this kid is Naruto Uzumaki. The guy who went out to sea not too long ago."

"Yep I sure am. I wanted to find out more about your world government to help our nation come to a faster decision." Naruto exclaims before noticing the screen. "Oi who's this guy?"

The rest of the kage sweat drop before Mei answers him. "This man is Sengoku-san the Fleet Admiral of the world government Naruto."

"Huh. Is that so?" He then gives a small and quick bow. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise Naruto-san. So if I'm right in understanding this. You recently left your country the Elemental Nations to gather information about us. Is that right?" Sengoku asks Naruto who gives him a nod in reply. "In that case I would be willing to grant you the status of a diplomatic envoy. But in exchange I'd like you to come here to Marine Headquarters so we may meet in person."

The kage look from one to another and quietly discuss what that would mean. Gaara ended up being the one to reply. "May I ask what the status of diplomatic envoy would do for Naruto?"

Sengoku nods. "Its actually quite simple. It just means that he would have what we call diplomatic immunity so he can go wherever he pleases and not be halted by my fellow marines. However I do ask that you don't abuse this power since it's rarely ever given out."

"Diplomatic Immunity huh? That does sound interesting. Just so we're clear. All your asking of me in exchange is to just go to your Headquarters for a meeting?" Naruto says and is replied with a nod. "That does sound good. And don't worry I don't intend to abuse it."

Sengoku smiles at how well the conversation was currently going. "That's a relief to hear. So if you like I can send out a couple of ships to escort you here."

Naruto holds up a hand asking him to temporarily stop speaking. "No that's fine. I'd actually like to make my own way there so I can see more of the world."

A look of surprise crosses Sengokus face as he listens to Narutos comment. "Are you sure about that Uzumaki-san? On your own it wouldn't be an easy journey. It would take you a great deal longer to arrive since marine HQ is located at the end of the first half of the grand line!"

Naruto just shrugs. "I don't mind actually."

After a brief sigh Sengoku nods. "Alright if that's your discision. Just know that the grand line is the most exceptionally dangerous sea in the world."

"Glad to hear it. I could use a good workout!" Naruto says with a grin plastered across his face.

"I can see that I won't change your mind. In that case I'll just send a message to Captain Smoker in Loguetown. When you get a chance please meet up with him and he can give you more information on the grand line as well as some of the special tools you need to navigate those seas." Sengoku informs Naruto.

"Ok. Loguetown, Captain Smoker. Equipment. Got it."

"I hope you have a safe journey and I hope to see you soon Uzumaki-san." Sengoku says before bidding farewell to Naruto and the rest of the kage, then the snail stops projecting the mans image and promptly falls asleep.

Naruto turns to the Kage with a smile. "Well that went well. I guess its time to get back to my ship."

Just as Naruto is about to return he feels something lightly gripping onto his arm. He looks down to see his arm covered in sand.

"Naruto, your new crew mates only need another day or so to finish their preparations. So why don't you wait for them?" Gaara says. Then he leans forward and whispers something else. "Why don't I treat you to some ramen? We asked an expert from Konohagakure to supply food for this meeting."

Narutos eyes go wide and sparkle as he realizes just who Gaara meant. "Damn right! Lets go share a couple dozen bowls of the greatest food on earth!" He says as he wraps an arm around Gaaras shoulder and the pair head out to procure said delicacy.

* * *

Most of you are probably wondering if I'm going to have Naruto join up with the Straw Hats. The answer to that is no. They will be friends and possible allies however I intend for Naruto to have his own crew and his own adventures.


	7. Chapter 7

Just a quick note. My OC Lisanna is not the Lisanna from Fairy Tail. As I said in an earlier chapter I got the name Lisanna from Fairy Tail but not the entire character. This Lisannas brother is not Elfman.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

A couple days go by as Naruto awaits the arrival of his new crew members. After some time goes by he heads out to track down Gaara to see if he knew anything about when they would be arriving. It takes Naruto about an Hour or so to track the Kazekage down.

"Hey Gaara. I was wondering. Do you have any idea when they're supposed to arrive? Its been a couple days and honestly I'm getting a little worried about TenTen-chan and Lisanna-chan back on the ship." Naruto asks his friend.

Gaara looks at him silently for a moment before replying. "We're still waiting on the representative from Kumogakure. But the other two are already here in town. So if you wish, you could just bring them back to your ship. I can either use that strange snail device to contact you. Or just use one of your special kunai."

Naruto closes his eyes for a few seconds while he thinks. "Ya that would be fine. Sorry about the trouble but like I said. I'm getting just a little worried."

"That's understandable Naruto. Now anyways, why don't you just head back to the town centre. I'll go and send the two over there to see you."

Naruto smiles happily as he nods in understanding. "Thanks Gaara. I guess I'll see you later." He says before doing a quick hand sign and vanishes in a swirl of leaves.

XxX

Within two hours a pair of individuals open the door to the meeting room to find Naruto leaning back in his old chair fast asleep. The male wearing a suna hitai-ite just shakes his head in slight annoyance as he raises a hand. "And to think. This is supposed to be our captain...Lets see how he likes this wake-up call." The man then pulls his arm back causing Narutos chair to be pulled out from under him.

"Ahh what the hell?" Naruto says as he falls flat on his ass. He then looks around to find the perpetrator. His gaze falls on the pair standing in the doorway along with their luggage. "Were you the one who did that?" Naruto says as he points a finger at the man from suna who was grinning at him.

"Of course. And I wouldn't have had to if you weren't asleep Naruto."

Naruto grumbles to himself as he stands up and then proceeds to walk over to the pair. "I guess...But don't do it again." He tells man who continues to grin at him. "I make no promises." He slyly replies.

"Well anyways. Are the two of you ready?" Naruto asks and gets two quick nods. "Alright then." He then places his hands on their shoulders as they grab their baggage. "Lets go." Once he finishes speaking, the group instantly disappears in a flash of light.

XxX

Back at the ship. Both TenTen and Lisanna are currently surrounded by about a hundred men. They're now trying to figure out how this pirate group managed to sneak up to the ship the previous night.

_'This would be easy enough to handle if I didn't have to protect Lisanna-chan as well as fight these bastards.'_ TenTen thinks to herself as she keeps her eyes on the approaching pirates. She steadies a kunai in both hands to defend against any attacks.

"Come now girls. This doesn't have to get messy. You should just submit and I'm sure my men will be as gentle as possible." The captain of the opposing vessel says with a wicked grin as he holds his sword to the side.

"Its ok Lisanna-chan. Are you able to get up to the safety of the crows nest?" TenTen whispers to Lisanna without looking away from the pirates.

Lisanna shakes her head. "No. I'm sorry but I need to pick up enough speed before I can get up there." She quietly replies as she shivers in fright.

"Damn it Naruto-kun. Just why the hell did you pick now of all times to be away." TenTen curses to herself.

Suddenly a loud crashing noise catches everyones attention as well as a loud voice cursing. "What the hell Naruto! Why would you have us land on the damn table!"

TenTen cracks a small grin with the knowledge that their reinforcements have finally arrived. She takes a deep breath before calling out. "NARUTO-KUN GET THE HELL OUT HERE! WE HAVE SOME UNINVITED GUESTS THAT ARE GIVING US PERVERTED LOOKS!"

The pirates all take out their swords now armed with the knowledge that there are more people located below deck. "Men I order you to go in there and kill her friends and crew mates!" Their captain tells the men. About a dozen of them start making their way for the door.

"Uninvited guests? Wow good show Naruto. We don't even have time to unpack before you guys put us to work..." The voice from earlier says.

Moments later as the pirates near the door a cloaked figure barrels out knocking several of the pirates onto their asses. The pirates that are still on their feel look at the unarmed figure curiously as it looks to be raising both its arms in their direction. Suddenly a torrent of flames shoot out from the outstretched hands and proceeds to scorch the enemy.

Screams of pain fill the air as the flesh of the pirates begin to sear and melt from the intense scorching heat. The pirates that managed to escape the flames with only minor burns didn't get off any easier. As soon as they moved further away from the fire someone else dashes out from below deck. The figure was wielding a very thin longsword and moved quickly through the remaining enemy ranks. The swordswomen comes to a stop on the opposite side of the pirates, and gives a quick yank to a strand of thread attached to the end of the blade which forcibly pulls the remaining pirates together in a clump.

Now that the figure had come to a stop TenTen and Lisanna finally get a good look at the swordswoman. She was wearing a sleeveless black shirt with matching pants, complete with a waist-guard. As well as the usual attire of Kirigakure's striped wrist and leg-guards. Bandages were also wrapped around her neck. And there was a plain white mask covering her face with her long white hair billowing behind her.

"Whoa...that was amazing...thank you!" Lisanna says as she bows in gratitude to the white haired swordswomen who just replies with a short nod before turning towards the pirate captain. "So you must be the leader of these weaklings." She says as her hand tightens on her longsword.

The pirate captain takes a step back towards his ship but comes to an abrupt halt as he feels a blade being held against his throat. His shaky gaze slowly drifts to a blond man wielding a kunai. "I-I assume your their captain?" The pirate says with terror in his voice.

"You would be guessing right. Now comes the problem of what to do with you." Narutos stern gaze drifts to TenTen and Lisanna. "Since you girls seemed to be what him and his men were after. I think you should be the ones to punish him." Naruto then hurls the man forward so he falls in between Naruto and the two.

"Kinda cruel of you to say that Naruto." Someone says from within the ship. Everyones gaze drifts to the door as a figure walks out wearing a black outfit consisting of a long top and pants with a red sash wrapped around his waist. And a black hood upon his head. "Then again with what he seemed to have had planned for the ladies...it seems fitting."

TenTen looks at the man in the dark coloured clothing with surprise. "Kankuro? Is that you?"

"Ah TenTen. It seems like you remember me. That's good." Kankuro says with a laugh as he walks over to Lisanna. "And who might this be?"

Lisanna fidgets a little as she looks at one of their rescuers. "Lisanna...My name's Lisanna."

Kankuro smiles then pats her on the shoulder. "Nice to meet you." He then raises his hand and twitches a couple fingers. Immediately with that simple motion the robed figure from earlier suddenly flies towards him and comes to an abrupt halt at his side. Lisanna looks at the figure in wonder. "And who's that?" She asks Kankuro.

He cocks an eyebrow in slight confusion before he realizes that she doesn't know what it is. He lets out a laugh as he removes the figures robe. Lisanna jumps back in surprise as she looks at the figures body. "Just what is that?"

"Its a puppet." Naruto says as he walks over. "Kankuro here is one of the most talented puppet masters from Sunagakure." Lisanna looks at Kankuro in wonder. "I'll explain later." Naruto then adds.

A sudden cry attracts everyones attention back to the pirate captain who had kunai knives pinning his hands to the mast. TenTen was then slowly walking over to him with a kunai knife in her hand. Naruto looks at here eyes to the point on the mans body she was glaring at. _'Oh kami.'_

Naruto quickly turns towards Lisanna. "I know I said you two can take care of him...but I really don't think you need to see this." Lisanna moves Naruto for a moment to see what he meant by that. Her eyes go wide as she nods. "Ya...I think she's got this handled."

Naruto then gently places his hands on her shoulders and lead her through the door that would bring them below deck. But just as the door was about to shut a blood-curling scream fills the air. As the sound of the scream enters Narutos ears, his entire body shivers. "Ugh I almost feel sorry for that poor bastard." He quietly says to himself.

Neither Naruto or Lisanna leave the safely of the ship until the screams become faint and then nonexistent. Once the screaming stops Naruto and Lisanna finally head back onto the deck to find a pile of gold and other treasures in one stack and a pile of charts and other documents in the other.

With an eyebrow raised in wonder Naruto turns to the trio that had remained on deck. "Ok I'll bite. Just whats the deal with this stuff?" He asks the trio.

Kankuro shrugs his shoulders as he raises his arms to his side. "Just some stuff I took from their ship. Since that pirate group doesn't seem to exist anymore it seemed like a waste to just leave it."

"Good point Kankuro." Naruto says as he smiles to his new comrade.

"Well Naruto-kun. Now that you and Lisanna have returned to us, I think its about time for everyone to give some introductions." TenTen says to Naruto.

Naruto turns to TenTen with the smile still on his face. "Good idea TenTen-chan. In that case we might as well state our jobs on the ship as well as what else we want to accomplish." He then turns back to Kankuro and points at him. "Alright Kankuro, your up first." Naruto says with a grin.

"Huh? Why the hell am I first? Ugh...fine then. I'm Kankuro from Sunagakure in the Elemental Nations. I'm a Puppet-master and I want to both further my skills as well as be able to bring back new techniques to bequeath to the next generation. As for this ship...I guess I'd have the easiest time controlling the ship so...Helmsman I guess." He then points towards the masked swordswoman. "Your next. And while your at it you might as well remove that mask."

She shakes her head for a moment before removing her mask to reveal a pair of stunning green eyes and a flawless face. "...I'm Aurora. Member of the new Seven Swordsman of the Mist...Current wielder of the Nuibari, the Sewing Needle Longsword...I lived in Kirigakure...On the ship...Medic. Goal...Improve my swordsman ship and medical skills." She says in a monotone. Aurora then points to TenTen. "...Next..."

TenTen points to herself. "As most of you should know by now. I'm TenTen from Konohagakure in the Elemental Nations. I specialize in weapons so as Naruto-kun mentioned to me earlier I guess Sharpshooter." She says with a small smile as she twirls her kunai in the air. "Hmm as for a goal...How about to collect any and all rare and legendary weapons I can find. And like Naruto-kun I hail from Konohagakure in the Elemental Nations." TenTen then points at the blond.

With a quick grin Naruto bites his thumb and does a couple quick hand signs before placing his hand to the ground causing a large puff of smoke to surround him. After the smoke clears everyone finds Naruto posing while standing on a large green toad with dark blue stripes. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Ex-Hokage from Konohagakure. Currently I'm a great and Powerful Sage who honed his skills on Mount Myoboku. My job on this ship is Captain! And my goal which will one day happen is to bring about peace to the world!." Naruto calls out causing everyone else to sweatdrop except of Lisanna who was amazed at what he just did.

TenTen shakes her head as she mutters. "Idiot." Then her gaze drifts to the final member. The long dark haired women. "Ok Lisanna-chan. Your up."

Lisanna looks around the group as she fidgets a little. Naruto walks over to her and puts an arm around her shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Don't be nervous Lisanna-chan. We're all friends and comrades here." Naruto says as he gestures to the rest of the crew.

She then nods as a faint blush covers her cheeks from the close contact. "I'm Lisanna from Hoga Island in the Grand Line." With her mentioning of the Grand Line everyone but Naruto raise an eyebrow in wonder. She gives a small sigh before beginning a short explanation. "The world has four major seas. The East Blue which is the sea we're currently sailing in. There's also the North Blue, West Blue and then the South Blue. There's a giant stretch of land that circles around the world called the Red Line that separates the East/South seas from the North/West Seas. In addition there's one more sea that circles around the world. That sea is the most dangerous, Its called the Grand Lind. Its sandwiched between two smaller seas known as the Calm Belt. Those are seas in which no winds blow and is a Sea King breeding ground." She explains and waits for everyone to nod in understanding and is happy to see that TenTen was writing down everything she just mentioned about the world.

"Now back to the introduction...Well...I can be the Navigator. As for a goal..." She turns to Naruto who smiles and nods for her to continue. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "My goal is to find my older brother who was taken from me when we were very young..."

"Ok...I have two questions Lisanna-chan. First if its so dangerous crossing the Calm Belt then how did you end up here? Second do you have any idea where your brother is? Cause knowing Naruto-kun, he'd be more than happy to help you find him." TenTen asks with a gentle tone.

Lisanna looks in wonder at Naruto. "Ya. No worries Lisanna-chan. We'd be more than happy to help." He says as he gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Well as for how I came to be in the East Blue. I kinda stowed away on a marine vessel many years ago and I haven't been able to find anyone other than pirates who wanted to go to the Grand Line. But as for my brother...I'm sorry but I have no idea..." Her gaze drifts downward as her hands form into fists and then tighten. "Even after all these years of searching I'm still no closer to finding him!"

"Lisanna-chan. No tears now. I did agree to help you find your brother and that's a promise I intent to keep. I always keep my word." Naruto says.

Lisanna nods as she nuzzles her head against Narutos close shoulder. "Thanks Naruto-kun." She quietly says and Naruto cocks an eyebrow at the change in honorific used but figured it was just a fluke and chose to disregard it.

As she continues her nuzzling she accidentally changes back to her cat-girl form causing both Kankuro and Aurora to look at her in a mix of confusion and wonder.

"...Ok I can't be the only one wondering why she suddenly grew fur, cat ears and...whoa is that a real tail?" Kankuro exclaims in wonder causing Lisanna to jump in surprise back onto Narutos shoulders.

"...This is going to seriously get some getting used to." Naruto says as he points to an embarrassed Lisanna sitting on his back and shoulders. He then quietly adds. "Though...it's not too bad I guess."

With Lisannas improved hearing her face turns a slightly darker pink.

TenTen rolls her eyes before turning to Kankuro and Aurora. "Naruto-kun. How about you and Lisanna-chan bring this stuff that Kankuro pilfered from that ship into the hold. I'll tell him and Aurora about those weird Devil Fruit things. Then later on I'll tell you about what happened in the time since you left us." She says to Naruto who forms a half-dozen clones to help him and Lisanna (who was more than happy to not have to explain about her abilities) carry the treasure, charts and other documents back below deck.

"Sounds good TenTen-chan!" Naruto says as he heads off to put everything away.

"Ok first off there's these things called Devil Fruit and they..." TenTen begins to explain to the clueless pair.

XxX

Somewhere in another part of the vast oceans of the world.

The light from an open window crawls up an dark haired individual resting in a bed. Once the light reaches his face he squirms in his sleep before he slowly opens his eye to take in his surroundings. "Where am I?" He says out loud as he tries to sit up.

The sound of footsteps picks up as a young dark haired women wearing glasses with a sword at her side walking alongside a purple haired women in a nurses outfit walks in. "Oh your finally awake!" The nurse exclaims in delight.

She then turns to the other women wearing glasses. "Do you mind keeping an eye on him while I get the doctor, as well as some food for our patient?" The nurse asks and gets a nod in return from the other.

Once the nurse leaves the room the woman in glasses sits down on a chair beside the bed. "Good to see your finally awake. So are you feeling any better?" She kindly asks him.

"I...I don't know...But I think so." He says before looking at her with a curious glance. "So who are you?" He asks.

The young lady points to herself. "Me? I'm Tashigi and I'm a Sergeant in the Marines." She tells him with a smile on her face. "How about you? What's your name?"

The young man looks forwards then his gaze drifts to his hands. "I...I don't know...Just who am I?"

Tashigi looks at him with a look of both surprise and sadness before her gaze drifts over to where the clothes he was previously wearing before being admitted to the hospital were sitting. She sees a strange design on the back of the shirt that looks like a red and white fan. _'I wonder what that symbol stands for?'_ She thinks to herself as she sits in silence with the young man.

* * *

Sorry for the later update. I just got a new schedule at work and honestly I'm still not used to it so I've been crashing once I get home.

Now for the usual where I try to answer a question or two from the reviews.

Mini Question Corner!

Q 1: Will Naruto be a pirate with a bounty.

A 1: At the moment Naruto is not a pirate. However that may or may not change depending on what happens later on in the Grand Line.

Q 2: Will Naruto or the others eat a devil fruit.

A 2: I don't think having Naruto eat a devil fruit will be a good idea honestly. Because I won't want him to be too overpowered. And with full access to Kuramas chakra he's powerful enough as is.

Q 3: What is Narutos crew going to be called. (This is a question a few of you have asked.

A 3: Honestly the name is still kinda up for debate. I've been discussing it with a few friends who're helping to give me ideas and I do have one idea for it...but I don't think I'll announce it ATM lol. However if enough people want it I may be willing to disclose it... At some point in time that is XD


	8. Chapter 8

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**_'Demon/Summon thinking'_**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

By the time the sun begins to set and everyone on the crew is in the dining room sitting at the table eating their instant ramen. Much to almost everyones disgust except Narutos. Naruto then turns to TenTen after he manages to wolf down several bowls. "TenTen-chan. I think it's time for you to tell us what happened in my absence." He asks her.

TenTen happily puts down her chopsticks and prepares to give her explanation. "Well Naruto-kun. As you should remember. We were coming up to another island just as you left." She says as she waits for Naruto to nod. "What happened after you left went like this..."

XxX Flashback XxX

"It seems those Admirals have sent a message to the kage using those strange snails. Garra is asking us to return as soon as possible so I can be included in their discussion. But I'm just going to use the Hiraishin jutsu and head back there myself so do you mind being in charge while I'm gone TenTen-chan?"

She then nods. "Of course Naruto-kun."

"Thanks." Naruto says to her before turning to Lisanna and Nami. "Sorry but I have to take off for a bit. But I shouldn't be gone too long...maybe a couple hours to a day or so at the most." He then vanishes in a flash of light leaving not a trace that he was even there.

Both Lisanna and Nami watch in surprise as Naruto vanishes, neither of them even close to being used to such a technique.

Once Naruto was gone TenTen calls out to Nami and Lisanna. "Hey Navigators. How long till we reach the next island?" She asks them.

"Hmm...It shouldn't be more than an hour or so at this pace TenTen-chan." Lisanna replies after she and Nami quickly converse on the matter.

The next couple hours seem to go by in a flash before they dock their ship in a cove. The group all get off the ship then they hear a loud voice call out. "Oi! Who goes there?"

The group turn their gaze up the hill to see a young man with dark hair, wearing brown overalls. The most noticeable feature about this guy was his exceptionally long nose. He points to the group as he asks a question. "Just who are you people?"

Out of the entire group it was Luffy who stepped forward and gazes up at the long nosed man. "We're pirates!" He exclaims.

"P-Pirates you say? W-Well don't you even dare think that you'll be able to take another step on this land. Because my 8000 followers will stop you!" He yells out as his knees shake in obvious terror. The entire group sweat drops as they're all thinking the same thing. 'What a Liar.' However much to their surprise, one of them seems to actually believe him.

"Whoa 8000!" Luffy exclaims in amazement as his jaw drops. Nami then walks up to Luffy and cuff the back of his head before turning to the long nosed one. "That's such an obvious Lie!" She says in a matter of fact sort of way.

The man crouches down and rests his head between his hands. "Ahh she saw through me! She must be a master interrogator!"

TenTen shakes her head in disbelief. "I know children who can lie far better than you." She says which causes every to look her way in wonder. "In fact. It was one of the things we were taught in the academy!"

"Huh? Just what kind of school would teach kids to actually lie?"The long nosed man asks with a curious look on his face. He continues to think about it and doesn't notice TenTen disappear in a small whirlwind of leaves and reappear directly behind him.

"Oh that's not all we were taught." She says as she crouches down behind the unaware man. TenTen grins wickedly as she positions her head beside his and quietly whispers in his ear. "We were taught the fine art of..." The man freezes in place and begins to sweat bullets as he feels her hot breath beside his ear. "...Assassination." She finishes causing the man to turn pure white before he faints and rolls down the hill coming to a rest in front of the group.

She then bursts out laughing as she watches the mans reaction. "Oh god I can't believe he fainted like that!. The only thing that would make this funnier is if he..."

As TenTen was laughing at the top of the hill Luffy took the time to go over to the unconscious man and after a moment jumps back as he covers his nose. Zoro looks at Luffys uncomfortable reaction and decides to guess what happened. "Uh TenTen-san...I think he just shit himself."

TenTen goes dead silent for a moment before she falls back and the only thing that can be heard is an uncontrolled roar of laughter.

Lisanna covers her nose as she moves away from the downed man. "TenTen-chan that was really mean."

Zoro shakes his head for a moment trying to suppress a smirk before grabbing the mans suspender straps and hurls him into the ocean.

Once the man hits the water he manages to regain consciousness he walks back onto the beach with his head lowered in shame. "Ok very funny. Everyone can stop laughing now." he says as the roar of TenTens laughter refuses to die down. He slowly looks up a little to glance at the group before him. "Ok honestly just who are you guys...and what is your reason for coming here." He says as he continues to blush in total and utter embarrassment.

"Its just as Luffy said. We're pirates. However we only came here so we can get a ship. So relax we have no interest in attacking the town." Zoro says as he tries to get a word in between TenTens laughter.

"I'm Nami." Nami says before pointing to Luffy and Zoro. "The one in the straw hat is Luffy and the green haired one is Zoro. "The young lady who's standing way over there now is Lisanna. And well...you've already met TenTen." She informs him but starts to chuckle a little when she gets to TenTens name.

"ITS NOT FUNNY!" The long nose guy yells at Nami who was now holding her sides as she laughs.

Zoro turns to the man since he now has regained control and is no longer laughing. "Anyways just who are you?"

The guy points to himself. "Me? Why I'm the great Captain Usopp!" He proclaims and is met by even more hysterical laughter from atop the hill. "STOP LAUGHING!"

Lisanna shakes her head as she starts making her way up the hill. "I'll go and try to get TenTen-chan to calm down. Then can you lead us to a restaurant in town Usopp-san?"

Usopp nods as he continues to blush.

Once Lisanna finally manages to get TenTens laughter under control, does Usopp lead the group into town so they can find a place to eat.

The group ask him about where they could get a ship and he ends up telling them all about a young women called Kaya who lives in a mansion just outside of the town. But the entire time he was explaining about Kaya and the town he constantly glared at TenTen until he finally had enough and had to ask her again.

Usopp points a finger at TenTen in anger. "Ok women now you have to explain something to me. Just what the hell did you do back there? There's no way a simple school would teach you that!" She demands her to answer. Nami and the others look at her curiously since its something they have been curious about. Both that and what Naruto seemed able to do.

TenTen giggles for a moment before she makes herself calm down. "I was serious...long nose-san. Both myself and my captain Naruto-kun were in an academy since we were around six years old. The academy taught us to become shinobi, and we didn't leave until we were about 12. At that time we went on easy missions which were more like chores. However we did eventually get harder missions. Such as infiltrations, assassinations and others like them."

Usopps eyes go wide in surprise as he takes this in. "Seriously?"

She nods. "Ya seriously. Also most of us shinobi use different techniques and are capable of far different things. I can use a summoning technique to well summon weapons like this." She then takes out a scroll and sets it on the table. She opens it and summons up a couple kunai knives to show them her ability. "However in battle I can summon a lot more than this at a time." She adds.

Nami cocks her head in confusion. "Wait is that's what you do...then what about Naruto-san? What is he capable of?" She asks with obvious interest.

"I'm not going too far into it because I'm respecting Naruto-kuns privacy. However this one thing I will say... Years ago before a huge war broke out in our homeland. Naruto-kun fought against an enemy who had enough power to instantly destroy our entire village as well as kill most of the inhabitants." She says as she moves her hand closer to her body as she shivers a little.

The group goes dead silent as those words sink in. Nami then shakes her head in disbelief. "There's no way that's possible. I mean seriously? A single man attacked a village full of you over powered shinobi and managed to beat every last one of you? And somehow that blond haired captain of yours somehow manages to beat him? There's no way that's possi-" Nami says before one of those kunai blades was pressed against the flesh of her neck.

"Don't speak about things you have no clue about. "TenTen says with a hint of malice in her voice as she stares into Namis eyes. "That man I mentioned. He went by the name Pain. The power he had would make you all shake in terror. That guy killed the man that Naruto-kun looked up to like a grandfather! Someone he cared for more than anything!" TenTen shakes in anger as she spits out every word.

Her gaze drifts to the rest of the group before looking back to Nami who was sweating. "Ok..Ok I get it...I'm sorry." Nami slowly says with her hands raised.

With her hand still shaking TenTen looks back at the scroll and reseals the blade. "I'm sorry for doing that..." TenTen says as she tries her best to suppress her anger and sadness.

Luffy looks at the two happy to see that TenTen is calming down and has put her weapon away. "So... what happened next? How did he beat that monster?" He eagerly asks.

TenTen looks away from Nami and looks at Luffy. "Well...as strange as this sounds. After Naruto-kun found out about his masters death he agreed to undertake an intensely dangerous and difficult training session to attain the powers of a Sage. This is the weirdest part. He did this sage training in a place called Mount Myoboku. And his masters there were toads." She then waits for that to sink in before continuing. "Anyways after he completed this training he attained the strength needed to beat Pain after a long battle. A good time after the battle I ended up asking him about what happened to Pain. He told me that the body he fought was just a puppet. And that he managed to find the real Pain... The one thing I just can't quite understand is why he chose to spare him... Now that's all I'm going to say on the matter. I've probably said way too much already. If you want to know more just ask Naruto-kun." She tells them and refuses to say anything more on the matter.

"Huh...that would be amazing if it were true..." Usopp starts to say before noticing the glare he was getting from TenTen. He then coughs a couple times before continuing. "But I think its high time I get going. I have a previous engagement to attend to." With that being said Usopp gets up and walks off.

XxX End Flashback XxX

"You told them about my battle with Pain?" Naruto asks in disbelief.

TenTen looks down as she fidgets a little. "Yes. However I didn't reveal anything that's on a need to know basis." She quietly says bringing a look of confusion from Lisanna.

"Huh? What do you mean by a need to know basis TenTen-chan? What are you guys hiding from me?" Lisanna asks as she looks from Naruto to TenTen.

Kankuro points at Naruto, then to TenTen. "So you guys haven't told her anything about Naruto being a Jinchuriki?" He asks without thinking causing the two just mentioned to give him dirty looks.

"Jinchuriki? Whats that suppose to mean? Why are you guys hiding stuff from me." Lisanna says before looking towards Aurora in sadness. "I suppose you know too don't you?" Aurora doesn't say anything, all she does is give Lisanna a small nod.

Naruto looks at Lisanna with a look of understanding on his face as she sees the hurt in her eyes. "Trust me Lisanna-chan. The main reason these guys know is because of the war that went on. We're not trying to single you out."

She looks up at him as she tilts her cat ears back, showing him a look of sadness but also full of adorableness. "Does that mean you're going to tell me...Naruto-kun?"

Naruto does his best to resist the gaze. "Sorry but not at this time."

"But-"

He then silences Lisanna with a glare. "Trust me. You're better off not knowing. Now TenTen-chan, can you please continue."

TenTen nods. "Alright then Naruto-kun. I'll just skip forward to the next day when this group of pirates came to attack the town with a single goal...to kill Kaya-san."

XxX Resume Previous Flashback XxX

A tall man wearing glasses had his arms around a pair of the pirates. He was wearing a strange pair of gloves which had a long blade attached to each finger. He had a single blade pressed against the throat of either pirate as he glares down the hillside at his decimated crew. With a wicked glare he proceeds to threaten the remaining pirates. "You've got five minutes. If everything isn't sorted out by then...Then I'll kill every last one of you with my own hands."

The remaining pirates all scream out as they try to figure out just how the hell they will accomplish such a feat in a mere five minutes. Especially since the three sword wielding green haired man stood in their way and they knew they had no chance against him. The pair that had the blades to their throats roar in fury as they make their way towards Zoro.

Zoro then holds two of his swords behind the one in his mouth. "Tiger...Hunt!" Zoro calls out as he barrels past the pair and takes them both out in an instant.

The man wearing the long coat at the base of the hill stares at the sight in awe before realizing that without that pair it would mean everything was practically up to him. He looks up at two women who had spent the entire fight just sitting on a branch and watching the sceptical.

"Uh oh...looks like the little hypnotist is in trouble now!" TenTen calls down in a mocking tone.

As the hypnotist clenches his teeth in fury Nami takes the opportunity to run past him over towards Luffy who for some reason had the stem-post with a black cat figurehead on top of him as he slept. "Oh would you just wake up already Luffy!" She calls out as her foot makes contact with his head.

The hypnotist holds up a chakram and hurls it towards Nami. She turns around in horror to see the blade spinning towards her but just as it draws near it suddenly changes direction and misses her head by about a foot. Nami looks up the hill to see that TenTen had a kunai in hand and a smile on her face.

"I know I know. I did say that we wouldn't help since you guys insisted you had it covered but...lets just say you owe me one." TenTen says as she looks down at a relieved Nami and a now awake Luffy.

Luffy looks up and waves in thanks to TenTen before turning his attention to Nami who was holding her bleeding shoulder. "Ah...Your shoulders bleeding Nami!" Luffy says in surprise and concern.

"I'm fine...besides this is one fight we've got to win...especially since there's so much treasure on the line!" Nami says as her other hand forms into a fist.

"Shishishi classic Nami." Luffy says with a quick laugh before looking up the hill. "Hey...the evil butler is here."

The mentioned butler with the bladed gloves was looking towards his wristwatch. "Less than three minutes left Django."

Suddenly a voice coming somewhere behind the butler calls out. "Klahadore! Stop!"

The butler looks back. "What a lovely surprise Kaya-san. What brings you all the way out here?"

The few remaining pirates look to one another as they realize the same thing.

"The girl from the mansion?"

"Isn't that the girl we're supposed to kill?

This is good! All we have to do is kill her!"

Zoro glare back down the hill at the pirates causing them to flinch and shut up. Apparently satisfied Zoro returns his gaze towards the butler.

The young lady looks towards Usopp who had blood practically pouring from the back of his head. "Oh Usopp. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. How can you ever forgive me?"

"Its fine Kaya-chan! You have to get out of here! Klahadore is actually the infamous pirate Captain Kuro and he plans to kill you." Usopp screams out fearful for her safety.

She turns back towards Kuro. "If it's my fortune you want then you can have it. Just please stop this already!" She practically begs but stops as she sees his stern gaze.

"Its true that I intend to have your entire fortune...however I also need the peace of mind that will come with your death Kaya-san." Kuro says as he raises a bladed hand but before he could do anything, he's suddenly knocked back.

The fist that struck him is pulled back towards the one who stretched it out. The one known as Monkey D. Luffy.

Luffy then begins to make his way up the hill. Three children known as Pepper, Carrot and Onion race out from under some cover and grab Kaya by the hand. The share a quick glance with Usopp who yells for them to get her away to a safe location. The children race off with Kaya hot on their heels.

Kuro then stands up and glares at the one who struck him. "That attack smarted quite a bit Straw Hat. You displayed an unusual ability. You must have the power of a Devil Fruit." He says to Luffy.

"Yep sure did. I ate the Gum Gum Fruit so now I'm a rubber man!" Luffy exclaims as he strikes a fighting pose.

"Django. I'll kill the rubber man. You go and deal with Kaya-san. Force her to write that will and then...kill her!" Kuro says with malice in his voice as he holds his hands out in front of him forming a circle of blades. Django flinches at Kuros words but immediately proceeds to race up the hill and off into the woods.

The sound of someone whistling causes Usopp to look above him to find that TenTen and Lisanna moved and were standing in the tree beside him. "Since their real Captain has entered the battle I think its about high time we lend a hand. That is...unless you don't want us to?" She asks Usopp with a small grin.

"P-Please save Kaya-chan! I beg you!" Usopp begs her.

TenTen smiles as she jumps to her feet. "Alright I guess we can consider this a mission. So you'll owe me. Now Zoro-san! You protect Nami-san while we save Kaya-san!" She says and waits for Zoro to give an annoyed nod. She then leaps down and places Usopp on her back. "Lisanna-chan lets get going!" TenTen calls out as she dashes off in the direction of the fleeing children with Lisanna going into her panther form and races after her at top speed just to catch up.

"...Another user of the Devil Fruit... Hmm...perhaps I should make her into a pet. " Kuro says before dodging one of Luffys attacks.

Kuro swings his hand blades at Luffy who leans back and dodges the strike. Luffy puts all his weight on his hands as he pressing his feet together and springs his feet forward towards Kuros head.

"Gum Gum – Spear!"

The attack closes in on Kuro but just as it looks like its about to make contact he suddenly vanishes and reappears a ways to the side.

Luffy then swings his leg towards Kuro again. "Gum Gum Whip!" Kuro jumps up and easily

"And then...Pistol!"

Captain Kuro once again dodges the strike and lands atop Luffys fist. "You bore me child." He says before proceeding to run along Luffys outstretched arm and kicks him in the face sending Luffy flying into the cliff side.

The pirates then begin to cheer and chant Kuros name. Suddenly Kuro calls out in anger. "Fools Never call me by that name ever again! My entire plan is to do away with the name Captain Kuro!" Then Kuro races towards Luffy and thrusts his hand forward as he plans on impaling him. Luffy does the one thing Kuro didn't expect. He lifts up a boulder and puts it in the blades path.

The blade in impaled within the boulder, and once that happens Luffy twists it away causing the blades on one of his hands to be broken. "If you didn't want a reputation. Then you have no right being a pirate!" Luffy proclaims with certainty. "And if you wanna compare plans then mine is much bigger."

Once again the pirates resume cheering and saying Kuros name much to his annoyance. "I told you fools to shut up! I'll deal with you guys one I've finished off the Straw Hat kid." Kuro says as he glare at his old crew, then he adds. "I never intended to let any of you live. I can't allow anyone to live who knows my true identity!" He then lowers his hands and starts to sway his body form side to side.

The pirates all scream in terror as they realize what their captain is doing. Luffy looks at them in confusion. "Huh?" What are you all going on about?" He asks and gets his answer as he sees Kuro completely disappear from view.

Luffy looks around in confusion until he sees the pirates being sliced open and even the cliff wall was getting slashed. "What the hells wrong with you! Aren't these guys your Nakama!" Luffy cries out.

XxX In the Forest XxX

TenTen races through the forest for a short while before catching up to Django. "Heh this is going to be too easy." She says as she takes out a couple kunai and shuriken. TenTen then hurls them forward and they strike the hypnotist in the legs causing him to fall over in pain. TenTen dashes past him and sticks her tongue out at him playfully as she moves out of sight.

He can hear her as she runs off. "Oh Lisanna-chan! Be a dear and uh...keep en eye on him alright."

Django cocks an eyebrow in confusion as he attempts to stand up and is immediately forced back to the ground. He turns around. "Hey whats the big idea!" He says but then goes dead silent as he comes face to face with the panther form of Lisanna growling at him. "Grr I'd stay down if I were you." She warns.

The hypnotist nods in understanding and doesn't move a muscle.

Within Moments TenTen leaps in front of the children who were still running away with Kaya. "Hold on you guys. You're all safe now." She says with a smile before turning to the side so they can see Usopp on her back.

"Oh Usopp-kun your safe!" Kaya happily exclaims.

TenTen grins at the happy faces of the children. "Don't worry about that hypnotist guy. By the sounds of it Lisanna-chans got him taken care of." She says as the echo of a roaring beast reaches their ears.

"Uh..Are you sure about that?" Kaya asks with a slight fearful tone in her voice.

"Yep sure am!" TenTen replies.

XxX Back at the Cliff side XxX

The fight between Luffy and Kuro dragged on for awhile until Luffy finally managed to catch the quick footed pirate. Luffy stretches his head all the way back down the hill before pulling it back and striking Kuro directly in the face.

"Gum Gum – Bell!"

XxX End Flashback XxX

"...And once the fight between Luffy-san and Kuro ended the pirates ended up retreating. Soon after Kaya-san gave Luffy-san and his group a ship with a sheep figurehead. Usopp-san ended up joining up with them. And well that's pretty much all you missed in your absence Naruto-kun." TenTen says as she breathes a sigh of relief since she was at last finished talking.

"Ugh I guess I missed out on some pretty sweet action." Naruto says as he strikes his head against the table in frustration.

Lisanna nods. "Ya you did. I was happy to have been of some help...unlike you." She says as she sticks her tongue out at Naruto.

Naruto looks back at Lisanna. "Acting like that won't make me any more willing to spill my secrets." He informs Lisanna. He then gets up and walks towards the hall that leads to his room. "Well I need some sleep so goodnight you guys. Oh and Kankuro and Aurora-san. Just pick any room you guys want. We've got plenty to choose from." And with that being said Naruto goes into his room and shuts the door.

* * *

Well there you guys go. Another chapter. Hope you all like it.


	9. Chapter 9

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

******"Demon/Summon speaking"**

_**'Demon/Summon thinking'**_

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

It had been several days since Naruto returned to the ship with Kankuro and Aurora in tow. However other than when he was really needed, Naruto never left his quarters. During yet another meal without their missing blond Lisanna finally speaks up.

"Why is Naruto-kun refusing to eat with us? Or even spend anytime outside his room?" Lisanna asks TenTen before quietly adding. "Was it something I said?"

TenTen shakes her head as she looks at Lisanna. "Naruto-kun isn't so petty that he'd hold a grudge for something as small as that." She then reaches into her pouch and tosses something to Lisanna who catches it and looks to TenTen with a puzzled look on her face.

"What's this?" Lisanna asks as she tilts her head in confusion.

With a small smile TenTen replies. "That is a set of lock picks Just in case the door's locked. So why don't you go and convince him to join us."

"Sure thing!" Lisanna happily exclaims before taking off towards Narutos room.

Once out of sight Kankuro leans over the table and looks in TenTens direction. "You sure that's a good idea TenTen? Think about it, maybe there's a reason he insists on being alone...like some kinda training?" He asks her.

"It may not be the best idea." TenTen says as she rests her chin on her hands. "Then again. Some time alone to talk might be good for her."

Kankuro shrugs before sitting up straight again. "True...I just hope she doesn't see something that's better left unseen."

XxX

Soon enough Lisanna arrives at Narutos door. She starts off by trying the door handle to find that the door's locked. She grins to herself slightly as she crouches down and takes the lock picks out. Just as she raises the picks to the keyhole she notices a faint red then an orange light coming from inside. _'I wonder what that light is?'_

She shrugs as she carefully inserts the picks and proceeds to unlock it as quietly as possible. Eventually she's rewarded with a quiet click letting her know that she's succeeded. Just as her hand reaches for the handle a voice calls out to her from the other side.

"Yes? Is there something you want Lisanna-chan?" The voice asks her causing her to momentarily freeze. She then takes a deep breath and opens the door to find that...Naruto wasn't in sight much to her confusion. Lisanna pokes her head in and takes a moment to take in her surroundings. One one side of the room she sees a table with a couple stacks of scrolls sitting around one open one as well as a dozen books. Narutos king sized bed sat close to the centre and on the other side she notices an assortment of weapons, primarily those trident shaped ones. As she continues to look around her gaze stops on the bedside table which had about a dozen picture frames. Lisanna walks over and picks one up. The picture consisted of a young couple, the male had spiky blond hair and blue eyes. The young woman had long red hair that was parted in the front with a black clip.

Lisanna gazes at the picture of the couple. "Wow she's beautiful! I wonder who she is?" She asks herself before adding. "I wonder if this is a picture of Naruto and his girlfriend..." She says before trailing off.

"Actually..."

Lisanna jumps and hold the picture to her chest as she turns around looking for the source of the voice. "Who's there?" She asks as she keeps looking around and notices something above the door. Lisanna turns her gaze upwards to find Naruto sitting in a cross legged meditative position and he was looking right at her.

"That isn't a picture of me. Its my parents." Naruto says before he allows himself to fall and quickly rights himself before landing. "That's my mom and dad."

"Really?" Lisanna says as she looks at the picture. "You look just like your father." She adds bring a small smile to Narutos face.

"Ya...I've been told that. However I seem to have my moms personality." Says Naruto as he walks past her and sits on his bed and reaches for the other picture frame. "And this...this is a picture of my Master who was also my godfather." Naruto then motions for Lisanna to sit beside him which she then does and looks at the second picture to see a much younger Naruto and an elderly man with long spiky white hair as well as red markings on his face.

Lisanna glances at Narutos face to see that he now had a calm look on his face. She smiles for a moment as they sit together in silence. Eventually a number of questions come to her mind that she can no longer ignore. "Umm...Naruto?"

"Ya? Is something on your mind Lisanna-chan?"

She nods as she looks into his eyes. "Well umm...ya. There's a couple things I've been wondering about. Like before I came in here I saw a weird red then orange lights coming from in here. That and..well... I hope you aren't mad at me for what I said earlier this week...and for just barging in here." She quietly says.

"Lisanna-chan. Don't worry I'm not mad about earlier. And about the weird light...I guess you could say it was a part of my training." Naruto explains and gets a confused look from Lisanna. "And before you ask, I can't explain it to you yet. Especially since you probably won't be able to look at me the same way again."

Lisanna fidgets a little in mild annoyance. "Fine...But in that case can you tell me more about your fight with that Pain guy? TenTen-chan mentioned something about you being a sage of something. Can you tell me that much at least?" She asks him.

After a moment or so of silence Naruto gives her a nod. "Well I guess I can tell you a bit about that. Or I can show you." He says as he gets back into a meditative position. Lisanna looks at him curiously as she wonders what he's doing but gasps as she notices the orange markings forming around his eyes.

He then opens his eyes to reveal the change in them. She leans in to get a closer look. "Your eye colour has changed...as well as the shape of your pupils." She remarks in surprise.

Naruto nods. "Ya. This is how I look when I enter Sage Mode. When in this mode both my attack and defence is greatly increased. As well as my attack range. Not just that my recovery rate is also improved." He explains.

"This is really weird Naruto-kun. I'm not sure why but it's almost like I can feel the energy your exerting." She says in wonder. Naruto shrugs. "I dunno why either. Maybe its because your animal instincts are getting keener."

"Maybe...Also I've been wondering something else. TenTen-chan said something else that I didn't quite understand. She said that you spared Pain even though he killed your master...why is that?" She hesitantly asks.

She notices the sadness in his eyes as she asks him her question making her regret asking in the first place. Naruto looks back up at her. "Its true that he killed my master...as well as a good number of the villagers. The reason I spared him was because I knew I had to end the cycle of hatred..no matter oh much it hurt. But it turns out it was the right decision because after my talk with Nagato...That's his real name. He ended up doing something unexpected...He used this weird jutsu which restored the lives of everyone who died in the village...at the cost of his own life."

Her eyes widen in surprise as she listens intently to Naruto. After a moment she moves a little closer to him and places a hand on his back and rubs gently. Naruto then turns to her and gives her a weak smile. "Thanks. But I'm ok." Naruto says.

"Umm...Naruto-kun? There was something else I wanted to ask...but if there's time do you mind... training me? I want to become stronger..." Lisanna asks.

Naruto looks at her in confusion for a moment before he smiles and nods. "Ya I'm sure I can find time to help you improve."

A big grin forms on Lisannas face before she gives Naruto a big and tight hug. "Thank you Naruto-kun. With your help I'm sure I'll be able to find my Niisan." She happily exclaims.

She then stands up and grabs Narutos hand and pulls him up. Without wasting a moment she turns around and drags him along with her.

"Umm...Lisanna-chan? Where are you taking me?" Naruto asks in wonder.

Without looking back Lisanna continues to trudge on as she replies. "To get food of course. Besides we're getting close to another island and its best that we all keep our strength up!"

"Heh heh Fair enough Lisanna-chan." Naruto says with a small grin before adding. "By the way do you know anything about this island?"

"...Unfortunately yes...Its not the safest place in the East Blue...But I know you guys can handle yourselves." Lisanna says. "Besides...its not like we're going there to cause trouble. Just so we can get supplies since we weren't able to at the last island."

_'Huh...I wonder just why this place is dangerous...I guess I'll just have to wait to find out.'_ Naruto thinks to himself as he allows Lisanna to drag him all the way to the kitchen for some for some food.

Not long after Naruto and the group finish eating they can then see an island not too far off in the distance. "So just what's this place called?" Kankuro asks Lisanna as he stands at the helm.

"We're heading to a fishing town called Gosa Village on Conomi Island." Lisanna says.

Naruto leans up against the mast as he stretches. "Lisanna-chan. You said that the island was dangerous...Why is that?" He asks.

She walks over to the railing and looks towards the island. "I've been hearing talk that a group of pirates from the Grand Line have set up a base on the island. These guys are suppose to be quite strong and vicious." Lisanna slowly explains without averting her gaze. "So I don't think we should stay longer than needed. Just long enough to get some supplies."

"Agreed." TenTen calls down from the crows nest. "Just as long as we get some actual food. I'm getting real sick of eating damn ramen for every single meal!"

Naruto turns his gaze upward to flash a quick glare at TenTen for her comment. She just sticks her tongue out at him in response. Then Naruto grumbles something about not appreciating the fine cuisine that is ramen.

"True words TenTen. I mean ramen isn't bad...but not in the quantities that we're being forced to eat day in and day out. After eating this much of it I have to say that ramen is disgusting." Kankuro states as he watches Naruto turn his glare towards him.

"Oh Kankuro...I dare you to say it again..." Naruto warns with a slight gleam in his eye.

Taking the bait Kankuro grins at Naruto. "Ramen...tastes...NASTY!"

"Big mistake Kankuro!" Naruto states before disappearing and reappears directly behind Kankuro and making the seal of the tiger.

"TAKE THIS! LEAF STYLE SECRET TECHNIQUE! ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!"

As he says this he immediately pokes his fingers into Kankuros ass causing him to gasp in pain before flying forward and then falling directly in the water at the front of the ship.

Everyone else on the ship go dead silent except for TenTen who was once again laughing hysterically. But she does manage to say a few words before her laughter gets the best of her. "Kankuro is so going to kill you for that Naruto-kun."

"Heh I guess he can try." Naruto says as he looks back towards the island. "Hey TenTen-chan? Something doesn't look right about that town..."

TenTen then fights off her laughter long enough to tun her attention to the island. "Hmm...your right. Something does seem off about it." She readjusts her gaze to their left and notices a smaller vessel making its way towards the island. "Naruto-kun! There's a smaller ship heading there as well!"

"Hmm...Is there? Well in that case I might as well go and check it out..." Naruto says before he dashes off towards the railing and leaps off. Once he reaches the waters surface he pools chakra to his feet and stands on the water. But just as he prepares to take off a voice stops him and causes him to turn around. "Naruto-sama. I wish to go with you." Aurora states. Naruto makes a beckoning gesture and she leaps down to join him. "Alright then Aurora-san. Lets get going. The two shinobi then proceed to race off in the direction of the ship. "We'll catch up with you guys in a bit TenTen-chan!" He calls out.

XxX

On the smaller ship a trio of men were making their way towards the island. A green haired man whos upper body that was covered in bandages, just sat near the front of the ship with a white sword in hand as he was resting. The other two were cowering in fear beside him as the looked at the fortress they were nearing. The long nosed guy in overalls looked at the fortress with fear instilled in his eyes. "Nami-san's in THERE?" He questions as his body shakes in terror.

The third man had dark sunglasses and was wearing white jeans, a dark purple t-shirt and a blue open jacket slowly nods. "Ya that's the place Usopp-aniki. But what I'd like to know is where would Nami-aneki dock the ship?" He says before turning to the green-haired man. "What do you think Zoro-aniki?"

Zoro stands up and using his thumb he unsheathes his sword a little. "I say we hack our way in."

The pair look at Zoro in disbelief, and slowly turn to one another and nod in understanding.

Moments later Zoro was temporarily knocked out and quickly tied to the cabin of the ship. The pair look off in the opposite direction of the fortress. "Hey Johnny-san I see it! I see the Merry!" Usopp happily exclaims as he points at a ship docked just past a nearby village.

"She sure left it in a strange place. Though it is near Cocoyashi Village." Johnny states.

"Hey you guys! Untie me now dammit!" Zoro barks out at the two who shake their heads at him. Usopp walks over and pats his hand over Zoros upper torso causing him to groan in pain. "Settle down Zoro. Or you'll cause your wounds to reopen."

Usopp then turns around and firmly plants a foot by the stern of the ship. "Hard to Starboard! Bring us alongside the Going Merry!" He orders Johnny.

"Aye-aye!"

Usopp takes a breath of the salty sea air. "I'm a brave warrior of the sea. And we're about to set foot on an unexplored land...I shall call this the Great Adventure of Captain Usopp! Hows that sound Johnny-san?"

But Johnny merely replies with. "Aye-aye." And moments after he says that they near the dock to see three hulking fishman hybrids standing around. Both Usopp and Johnny go dead silent for a moment as they notice the fishman trio.

"Umm...Full Speed Ahead!" Usopp quietly orders as he tries to pretend that they didn't see anything.

"Aye-aye Usopp-aniki!"

Zoro then suddenly shouts out. "You're sailing past the Merry! What the hell?"

Their long nosed and temporary captain races the short distance to Zoro and firmly clamps a hand over his mouth to shut him up. "SHH didn't you notice the fishmen?! They obviously belong to that Arlongs crew! I don't want to die! Is that so bad?" Usopp hysterically says.

Johnny walks over to stand beside Usopp. "It's no use...These waters all belong to Arlong. So what should we do now Usopp-aniki?" He says.

"We just won't be able to bring Nami back I guess." Usopp flatly states as he crosses his arms and lightly shakes his head.

They then hear a voice coming from behind the ship. "Hey, I don't remember seeing this ship before!"

Both Usopp and Johnny look back to see the three fishman quickly swimming towards the ship and they both scream out in fear. "AGH!"

"Abandon ship!"

"Aye-aye"

"Wait you guys! At least untie me first you bastards!" Zoro yells out.

The fishmen waste no time in getting into the boat and notice a tied up Zoro. They end up deciding that they should just bring both the ship and their new prisoner back to Arlong Park. And as they leave both Usopp and Johnny say their goodbyes to the captured Zoro before making their way to shore.

Not too far away another pair had been watching the entire spectacle.

"...Those two are the biggest cowards I've seen in quite some time..." Naruto states with disgust.

"...Agreed...So what are your orders then Naruto-sama?" Aurora asks.

"We split up. You go keep an eye on Zoro-san...ok I guess you may not know who that is... he's the one with green hair. Just keep en eye on him and only interfere if his life is in danger. And try to collect as much information on this Arlong guy as you can. Meanwhile I'm going after those two cowards. They really need a lesson on protecting ones friends and comrades. Lets meet up in about 6 hours by the ship with the sheep head." Naruto says and Aurora simply nods in agreement. "Ok lets go!"

Once those words leave Narutos lips the two split off in separate directions.


	10. Chapter 10

Well here you all go. The 10th chapter. I am honestly kinda surprised how well this fic has been going. But I'm not disappointed XD. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

_**'Demon/Summon thinking'**_

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

As Naruto makes his way towards the village of Gosa he is met with a surprising sight. The entire town had obviously been attacked on account of the damage. All the houses had been flipped completely upside down. And there was a long trench leading through the centre of the village.

Naruto wasted no time and quickly conceals his presence by travelling over the destroyed houses as he proceeds to make his way through town. _'Just where did those cowards go?'_ He thinks to himself. The sound of someone screaming in terror catches Narutos attention and starts making his way towards the source of the sound. Soon enough he catches up to the source of the scream. It was the long nosed guy in brown overalls from the ship. "Well that's one of them...although didn't TenTen-chan tell me about someone who matches this guys description?" He asks himself before noticing that a heavy set fishman was chasing the guy through town.

The long nosed was a good deal faster than the fishman on dry land and looked like he would easily escape, however he made the mistake of not watching where he was going and some little kid tripped him causing him to fall flat on his face.

The kid lifts up a sword that he seemed to have set close by and glares down at him. "I'll kill you fishman! This is for my father!" The kid yells out before bringing the sword down.

Usopp looks up in terror as the sword closes in on him, but luckily for him someone comes up from behind the kid and gives him a karate chop to the head and causes him to let go of the sword. "Don't touch that fishman!"

Naruto comes to a stop atop the remains of the closest building as he watches the incident before him play out. The one who struck the kid was a young beautiful women with tanned skin and light blue hair. She looked to be wearing a beige sleeveless shirt, blue pants and purple sandals. She crouches down next to the young boy before turning her gaze towards Usopp. "Look carefully. He may look like a fishman but I can tell that he's human...well mostly human." She tells the kid.

"M-Mostly?" Usopp exclaims in disbelief that she actually thinks that he isn't even human.

"Wait up you long nosed runt!"

Usopp, the woman and the little kid all look towards the voice and see the heavy set fish man is catching up. "Damn it! Just why the hell did you have to piss the fishmen off! Now he may even kill all three of us because of you!" The woman screams at Usopp who barely manages to spit out a small apology.

Just as the fishman nears them a voice calls out. "Rasengan!"

A figure lands on top of the fishman and impales him with a whirling sphere composed of blueish white light. Once the strike connects it causes the fishman to scream out in pain before he hits the ground causing a cloud of dust to surround them both.

Once the dust cloud dissipates the three notice a blond haired man wearing a black shirt, black pants, fingerless black gloves and an orange sleeveless coat with black flames on the bottom. He jumps off the body of the fishman and starts making his way over towards them. They look at him with a mix of awe and fear. He comes to a stop directly in front of them.

Naruto lowers a hand towards the young lady. "I noticed that you were in trouble. So I figured I should lend you a hand." He says with a smile on his face. She cautiously takes his hand and allows him to help her to her feet.

Usopp breaths a sigh of relief before he raises his hand into the air expecting the stranger to help him up as well. But much to his surprise no one took his hand. He looks up in confusion as the stranger was just standing there talking to the young woman.

A tick mark forms on Usopps forehead as he clenches his teeth in anger. "Hey what the hell?! Why aren't you going to help me up as well you whisker faced bastard!" He yells out.

Naruto slowly turns towards Usopp who flinches when he notices his expression. The expression on Narutos face was a mixture of anger and fury. Usopp wastes no time in shuffling back as far as possible but ends up hitting his head against some debris and knocks himself out.

"Great...Now I have to wait until he wakes up before I get to interrogate him." Naruto says as he runs his fingers through his hair. The young woman cocks an eyebrow in wonder. "Interrogate him? What for?" She asks.

Naruto turns back to her. "Oh that's because I saw him do something despicable to one of his comrade earlier. I plan to find out why he did it." Naruto explains.

"Fair enough." Then the blue haired women quickly looks around before placing a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't a safe place to be right now. So why don't you pick that guy up and follow me to my place. We should be safe there."

Naruto gives her a quick nod before he leans over and grabs Usopp by his overalls and carries him as if he were a bag. "Alright then. Lead the way miss...?"

She looks him in the eye for a moment before turning around. "Its Nojiko. Now lets get going!" Nojiko races off. Naruto takes one last look at the fishman and shakes his head. _'Man that thing is ugly!'_ He thinks to himself before picking up speed to catch up to Nojiko.

XxX

Nojiko leads Naruto to a house surrounded by a small orchard of tangerines. "Nice place." Naruto comments as he inhales the sweet aroma coming from the orchard. As she opens the door to the house she momentarily pauses for a moment. "Thanks." She says before going inside with the kid.

Once Naruto enters the house and shuts the door he notices that the kid is sitting at the table and Nojiko was in the kitchen. He unceremoniously drops Usopp by the door and walks towards the table, once there he sits down on one of the chairs and leans back in it.

After a few minutes Nojiko walks over to the table and hand both Naruto and the kid a mug with hot tea. Once she finishes handing out the drinks she then sits across from Naruto. "So just who are you anyways? Your obviously not normal since you took out that fishman so easily." She asks as she rests her arms on the table and looks him in the eye.

He takes a drink of the tea and leaves it in his mouth for a moment so he could savour the taste before allowing the fluid to flow down his throat. "Mmm that tastes good." Naruto happily says before focusing on Nojiko. Unfortunately once he looks at her he noticed something he hasn't seen before. His gaze drifts just below her face and rests on the tattoo placed just above her breasts. Nojikos lip twitches as a tic mark forms on her forehead. "Hey I'm up here dumbass!" She yells out.

"Huh?" Naruto curiously asks before realizing why she said such a thing. Once he realizes he hold his arms out and waves them erratically as he panics a little. "I-I'm sorry but I wasn't staring at what you think I was! It was your tattoo that caught my eye."

A groan of pain attracts the attention of everyone in the room much to Narutos relief. Their gazes drift towards the door to where Usopp was getting up and rubbing the back of his head. "Ugh where am I?" He asks before looking around. He then notices Nojiko sitting at the table. "Hey aren't you that girl from before?" She nods at him

"That's right. The names Nojiko." She says before remembering what just happened. Nojiko turns her gaze back to the blond then she slams her hand on the table. "Don't think I forgot about you!"

Usopp follows her gaze over towards Naruto causing him to recoil in horror. "AHH I remember you! Your that guy who took down that fishman with a single strike. Just what ARE YOU?!"

With a sigh Naruto looks from the angry Nojiko to the scared Usopp. He finally settles on answering Nojiko first. "I told you. I was only looking at your tattoo! I'm a man of my word and I promise that I wasn't staring at your chest." He then turns to Usopp. "As for you. Are you sure you don't know me? I could have sworn that TenTen-chan told me that she told you guys about me."

"Huh? Who's TenTen-san?" He asks before his eyes widen in realization. "Wait you mean that crazy women who likes playing with those strange knives? That TenTen-san?!" He exclaims in surprise.

Naruto nods at him. "Yep that TenTen-chan. She has great aim with those things." Naruto says with a smile.

"Wait...you said that she mentioned you to us..." Usopps starts as he rubs his temple as he tries his best to remember. "You...wouldn't happen to be that Sage known as Naruto...would you?" He then laughs and wave his hand side to side in disbelief. "Na that can't be. The way she described him was if he were either a god or a demon."

Much to both Usopp and Nojikos surprise Naruto blurts out laughing as he lightly slaps his hand on the table. "She just had to say it that way! She did tell me how much she enjoyed scaring the shit out of you...and if what she said was true...she did succeed." He says in between breathes.

Usopps jaw drops as his cheeks redden. "Then everything she said was a lie?!" He says as his fists tighten. "Nope. Everything she told you was the truth." Naruto says making Usopp look at him in confusion.

"Ok just what are you two talking about" Nojiko asks with just a hint of anger in her voice for being left out of the conversation. Just before Naruto can reply the sound of someone knocking on the door draws his attention. "I know your in there you bastard!"

Naruto cringes a little at the sound of the strangers voice. "Uh oh...Looks like Kankuro caught up." He says before looking at an open window on the opposite side of the house. "Well I think I've overstayed my welcome." He then walks over towards the window but Nojiko grabs his arm. "Just where do you think your going? Also just who's at the door?" Naruto turns to her. "Its one of my crewmates. He said something that pissed me off earlier so I gave him a punishment of sorts...needless to say he wasn't too happy about it. So let me go."

_'Hmm...whoever it is I'm sure he can't be that bad.'_ "Usopp thinks to himself as he opens the door to find a man dressed all in black with a dark hood covering the top of his head. His face had various red markings on it. The man looks at Usopp as he walks into the house."Just where the hell is Naruto! He's gonna pay for doing that to me." A pair dash into the house and wrap their arms around Kankuros arms.

"Don't do it Kankuro-san! Please leave Naruto-kun alone." Exclaims the first women with long dark hair.

"Kankuro I know your pissed but you know you kinda deserved it." Says the other who has her hair in chinese-style buns on either side of her head. She then looks to her side and notices Usopp. "Hey aren't you long nose-san?"

Usopp backpedals into the wall once he recognizes the pair of women. "Ah Lisanna-san...and AHH it's TenTen-san! W-What are you guys doing here?"

"Huh? That you Usopp-san? Oh have you seen Naruto-kun?" Lisanna asks him.

With his mouth gaped open in surprise he slowly points towards the kitchen. Kankuro and the pair look the way he was pointing and notice Nojiko standing there looking down behind the counter that separates the kitchen from the living room.

Kankuro slowly forces his way closer to the kitchen to see what Nojiko was looking at. She was looking at a silver trashcan. Kankuro glares at it. Within moments sweatdrops start sliding down the trashcan. "Agh I know your there you bastard! Undo the damn henge! Your stupid transformation isn't fooling me!"

With a puff of smoke the trashcan disappears and Naruto reappears in its place with one hand behind his head as he lets out a weak laugh. "Oh come on Kankuro. You wouldn't have known I was there if Nojiko-san didn't see me transform and then keep staring at me." He says as he gets up.

Kankuro turns his head to either side and glares at both Lisanna and TenTen. "Let me go! I plan on making him pay for what he did!" As he says this TenTen turns to Lisanna. "Think you can hold him in place for a moment?" She asks. Lisanna nods as she once again transforms into her cat-girl form. With incredible speed Lisanna moves over and grabs onto both of Kankuros arms and digs her claws in a little for good measure. She then utters a quiet apology to Kankuro for causing him pain.

TenTen quickly takes out a scroll and summons a long chain and wastes no time in wrapping it around Kankuro to immobilize him. Lisanna soon lets go of the immobile Kankuro who was now spitting out curses at the girls for keeping him away from Naruto. "Damn it! You know that no matter what I do to Naruto he will heal the damage almost instantly so just let me pummel him already!"

"Sorry but...no. That's not gonna happen. Also if you damage my chains in anyway, I'll show you that I can be far scarier than your sister is." TenTen threatens him causing Kankuro to shut up.

"Just who are you people?"

"Huh?" Both Lisanna and TenTen asks as they look towards the source of the voice.

Naruto shakes his head. "This is seriously going to get annoying having to explain to every person we meet." He says before turning to Nojiko and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Alright Nojiko-san, the three of us are from the Elemental Nations. And we're all shinobi. That is except for Lisanna-chan. She's from the Grand Line and she ate a Devil Fruit." He explains but then Usopp utters a surprised cry. "Hey there seems to be a commotion coming from the village!"

Nojiko races towards the door but is careful to give Lisanna and company a wide birth. "Oh no! It has to be Arlong! What the hell's he doing this time!" She yells out before taking off towards town.

"...Ok just who the hell is this Arlong suppose to be?" Naruto asks in confusion. After a moment of thinking he turns his gaze over to Usopp. "Hey long nose-san! Tell me just who this Arlong guy is!"

Usopp cringes at the question. "U-Ummm I-I don't know much. A-All I know is that he's a fishman and he's suppose to be ferocious. If your w-want to know more then a-ask Nojiko-san! I'm sure she know more." He manages to say as his body shivers in fear.

Naruto then walks towards the door and wraps an arm around Usopp. "We'll be right back TenTen-chan and Lisanna-chan. Could you two bring Kankuro back to the ship for now so he can have some time to cool off?"

"Huh? Me too?" Usopp asks in fright.

"Yep. This way you can explain to me why you and that other guy left Zoro-san tied up in that boat. Especially after you guys tied him up there to begin with." Naruto says as he walks off towards the village with a reluctant Usopp.

"Huh? You saw that? Then why didn't you save him?" Usopp asks as he's forced to go along with him.

"What makes you think I did nothing? I sent one of my crewmates to keep en eye on him and ONLY interfere if his life is in danger. And I assure you...She can handle herself." Naruto calmly tells him.

As Naruto sets off towards the town dragging Usopp he comes across a pair of reddish coloured fox kits being protected by an older silver fox with red marking under his eyes from an oversized and ferocious boar. "I really don't have time for this." Naruto says as he walks over to the boar and proceeds to kick it hard enough to send it flying off into the distance. He looks down and smiles at the silver fox. "Nice work protecting them." Naruto kindly says to him before he turns around and resumes his walk to the village.

XxX

Both Naruto and Usopp soon arrive at the edge of the village just in time to witness a large muscular fishman with light blue skin and a saw-shaped nose. He was wearing a short sleeved unbuttoned yellow shirt decorated with black lightning-like spots, as well as green shorts with a purple sash wrapped around his waist. On his back there was a large fin on his upper back onto his neck which was surrounded by his long black hair. He was holding up another man covered in scars by his neck. Nojiko was nearby pleading to the fishman to release the man.

"How dare you Arlong!? In these past eight years we've never once failed to pay the tribute money! Do you really think we have any rebellious intentions!?" Nojiko yells out as she holds either hand off to the sides of her body. "Please let Gen-san go!"

The Fishman sneers in amusement at Nojiko as he continues to hold the man in the air. "Why would he have weapons if he didn't plan on fighting us? For the continued security of my territory, this man must die!" He then grins at her revealing rows of jagged teeth in his mouth. "Or maybe...The entire village should disappear! As you all know, If one of you ever lays so much as a single finger on any fishman, then I will reduce the entire town to rubble!"

The man known as Genzo speaks up. "Go to your homes, All of you! If violence breaks out now then the last eight years will have been for nothing!" He says to the crowd of villagers. "Remember the vow we made back then! We swore to fight by enduring...by surviving!"

With a cruel laugh Arlong switches the hand he's holding Genzo with then forces his head into a post. "Those are wise words...especially for a foolish human. Survival is indeed the greatest victory. But you must all know your place! All creatures are not created equal! We are the superior race because we are FISHMAN!" He then hurls Genzos body to the ground. "And as humans...your proper place is bowing at my feet with your heads in the dirt!" Arlong then walks until he's standing right by Genzos head before raising a foot that he plans on crushing the villagers with.

Seemingly from out of nowhere something collides and then explodes in Arlongs face. "Exploding Star!"

From Narutos hidden spot he notices that Usopp had gone missing and was standing atop a nearby building with a slingshot in hand. _'Huh? When the hell did he climb up there to do that?...not that I wasn't gonna do something about the situation...but damn he's got more balls than I gave him credit for!'_ Naruto thinks to himself as he watches things play out.

"I-I am a fearless warrior of the seas! My name is Captain Usopp! Flee now for I have an army of 8000 hardened warrior at my beck and call!" He bravely proclaims as his knees shake in terror.

As the smoke from the attack begins to clear the form of Arlong becomes visible. "So you have 8000 men do you? Well bring them on! I'll paper the walls with their hides!" Arlong furiously yells out as he starts to walk towards the building Usopp was standing on. "Your just a mere and pathetic human. AND YET YOU DARED TO ATTACK ME?!" Arlong then pulls the building up breaking it away from its very foundations and smashes it into another. Somehow Usopp manages to leap off the building and land safely before he starts running away with incredible speed.

A group of the fishman try holding Arlong back in an attempt to keep him from destroying the village while another group of them storm after Usopp.

As the group leads the furious Arlong away from the village he does still manage to strike another building causing it to fall over and on top of Nojiko. She lets out a loud scream as the building falls on top of her. The villagers scream out in horror as they watched the building fall. Once it hits the ground they all race forward to try and remove the rubble to save the girl.

"You all looking for something?" Naruto calls out from a building across the clearing. His voice catches the villagers attention and much to their surprise they see Naruto holding Nojiko bridal-style on the rooftop.

"Huh what the?"

"How did he manage that?"

The villagers all call out similar comments as Naruto leaps down to the ground with Nojiko tightly holding onto his clothing. Naruto gives her a smile as he gently lowers her to the ground so she can stand on her own feet. "Umm...thanks..." Nojiko says with her face turned away to hide the blush that was forming on her face. _'How on earth did he save me? I mean that building was practically on top of me!'_

"No problem." Naruto says with a smile on his face as the villagers race over to them to see if Nojiko was alright. "Well I think that I'm gonna take off now. See ya later." Naruto says as he gives her a small wave before he vanishes in a small whirlwind of leaves.

The villagers all look around in confusion as they try to figure out just who that man was and where he went. The village doctor help Genzo over to Nojiko so he can take a look at the both of them. "Just who was that man Nojiko?" Genzo asks.

Nojiko merely shrugs. "I don't really know. I just met him today." She pauses for a moment to make sure that there were no fishmen around before continuing. "I met him after he took out a fishman earlier with a single blow!" She quietly adds bringing both the doctor and Genzo to recoil in disbelief.

"What? Are you serious Nojiko? How is that possible?" Genzo manages to say. "And you said with just a single blow?" Nojiko nods to his question. "Yes he did it with just one single blow."

"...I hate to be the one to say this but if Nami isn't able to..." The doctor begins to say before he goes silent.

The villagers all look in the same direction to see Nami with a bouquet of flowers in hand walking towards the village. Everyone except for Nojiko, Genzo and the doctor all silently turn away and walk into their houses as they ignore her.

"So what are you doing here in broad daylight?" Nojiko playfully asks from her spot beside Genzo.

Nami sighs. "I heard a ruckus...It was Arlong...wasn't it?" She asks getting a nod from the trio. Nami shakes her head as she starts making her way through the village, Nojiko gets up and follows her though the town and all the way to a nearby gave on the cliffside.

After setting the flowers down Nami then sits close to the grave. "Just Seven million beli to go."

"The whole village hates you, you know?" Nojiko says with a frown on her face.

"Yeah, well I am a pirate after all. But Arlong understands money. I know he'll be true to his word. And at least it won't be long until I have the agreed upon amount." Nami says with a big grin on her face. "I'm going to get that 100 million beli no matter what...then I'll use it to buy this village."

"Oh is that why you seem obsessed with money Nami-san?"

Both Nami and Nojiko turn around to see a blond haired man sitting on the branch of a nearby tree. To their great surprise they both say his name at the same time. "Naruto-san?" They then turn to one another in astonishment.

"Huh you know him too Nojiko?

"Huh you know him too Nami?"

Naruto starts to laugh as he leans up against the trunk of the tree. "Wow this is quite the sight! The only thing that could make this better is if you guys mimicked each others movements like in front of a mirror!...Oh wait...you guys would have to look alike for that one to work sadly...damn!"

The pair look at him with puzzled looks on their faces. Nami then shakes her head as she stands up. "Just what are you doing here Naruto-san?" She asks.

Naruto points to himself. "Me? Well we just stopped at this island to pick up supplies however...I am little curious about this Arlong guy. Something about him just pisses me off...and it's not just because he was about to kill some guy named Genzo-san as well as this blue haired beauty." He points at Nojiko as he says this.

"WHAT! ARLONG TRIED TO KILL YOU NOJIKO?" Nami loudly exclaims as she grabs onto Nojiko and looks all over her body in search of wounds.

After a bit of a struggle Nojiko finally manages to push Nami away. "I'm fine Nami! Naruto-san saved me." She explains causing Nami to look at at Naruto in a mix of surprise and awe.

"As I said it was no problem. But if you want to thank me..." Naruto says as he keeps a close eye on their reactions. The pair blush a little as they think that what he wants is something perverted but much to their surprise it wasn't. He points to the pair. "You guys are to tell me what the hell is going on here. Just why is it the marines aren't doing anything about this Arlong guy, what vow is it the villagers made as well as...Why are the villagers treating Nami like she has the damn plague or something?!"

Nojiko cringes as Narutos words seem to pierce straight through her. "W-What do you plan to do once I tell you?" Nojiko asks as a sad and uneasy expression crosses Namis face.

"That all depends on your story. But if you guys give me a good enough reason I will stay out of it. At the same time...if you want my help just ask...and I will raze this Arlong Park or whatever its called to the ground and beat the shit out of Arlong himself!" Naruto declares as his gaze drifts over to Nami. "Nami-san. TenTen-chan told you about my battle against Nagato...or as he was also called Pain. I have the power to stop Arlong...Just give me a damn excuse to."

A slightly cold look crosses Namis face as she glances up to Naruto. "This has nothing to do with you Naruto-san. We will deal with this problem on our own." She says before walking away.

Once Nami leaves Nojiko motions for Naruto to come closer, which he does. "Ok I'll tell you but promise me you won't do anything to ruin the last eight years of Namis work." She asks and Naruto reluctantly nods in agreement. "Ok well..." She then proceeds to tell Naruto of the entire situation including the part where Arlong killed their adopted mother.

* * *

Some of you may be wondering when I'm going to end the poll considering the relationships involving Naruto. I plan on ending it soon after he enters the grand line. Others may be wondering about what's happening with Sasuke and by now you have to have figured out where he is. I plan on putting something in about him quite soon.


	11. Chapter 11

I'd like to give a quick thank you to all of you who have read my fic. Also I'm sorry for the late post but lately I've been suffering from a condition commonly known as writers block and all I've been able to plan out was stuff that will be happening far later into this story. And it doesn't help that just as soon as I started getting inspiration for the story...the new Naruto game has to come out and I'm unable to put it down. So I'm trying to get some writing down during my breaks as well as whenever the game is either loading or saving.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

_**'Demon/Summon thinking'**_

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

Once Nojiko finished explaining their situation on the island she could practically see the fire in Narutos eyes. "Now Naruto-san...you promised that you'd leave it to Nami and her plan!" Naruto gives an inaudible grunt as he walks towards the nearest tree and comes to a stop. He then leans back and headbutts the tree with enough force to knock it completely over and even uproot it. After a few moments he turns back to Nojiko. "Ya I did promise that...Though that doesn't mean I can't still be pissed at Arlong." He says and Nojiko notices a trickle of blood running down his head from when he hit the tree.

"True. But that was still a stupid thing to do Naruto-san. Look your hurt." She walks over to him and somehow convinces him to sit down so she can tend to his wound. Once Nojiko manages to remove his hitai-ate she was quite surprised to see that the wound on his head was rapidly healing. Her mouth drops open in surprise. "How is it that your body is healing so fast?" She asks.

"Huh? Oh my body has always been like this. I've been able to heal exceptionally fast ever since I was young." Naruto casually explains without really telling her much. But before she can inquirer further, the village leader Genzo comes up the hill alongside the doctor. "Hey Nojiko look out there, there's a marine vessel! Apparently some of the survivors from Gosa Village managed to get a message to the government and..." Genzo says but then notices Naruto sitting close to Nojiko. "Hey aren't you that guy who saved Nojiko earlier?"

Naruto nods. "Ya...so whats this you were saying about a marine vessel?" He asks as the sound of cannon fire draws his attention. The four then look out at sea and notice a large ship that had just shot a cannonball towards Arlong Park. "Shit! This is not going to end well." Naruto states just before he races towards the edge of the cliff. "Ahh Naruto-san! Not that way! There's a sheer drop there! " Nojiko exclaims as she watches Naruto leap off the cliff and vanish from sight. She races over to the edge expecting to see the worst.

Genzo grabs Nojikos arm keeping her from going to close to the edge. "Nojiko...it's too late for him... there's no way he could have survived tha-" Genzo starts too say before exclaiming in disbelief. "What the HELL!" He points out to sea at the figure of Naruto racing towards the ship.

"...Just who or what is Naruto-san?" The trio ask themselves.

XxX

At the marine vessel the marines were preparing the cannons for another assault when a fishman leaps onto the railing of the ship and shoots out a small glob of water directly at one of the marines. The glob flies directly through his body causing the marine to cry out in pain before collapsing. A number of the marines unsheathe their swords and prepare to attack.

"Halt! Stay where you are men!" Says a man with a crazy hairstyle and looks to be wearing a fancy uniform complete with the mantle of a superior. He then turns his gaze towards the fishman. "I'm Commodore Purinpurin of Navy Base Seventy-Seven. We're an elite fighting unit, feared across-" He starts to explain but is interrupted when the same fishman shoots him in the chest.

The Commodore falls backward with his hands to his chest as he screams out in pain. "He shot the Commodore! Seize him!" The marines call out as they watch their leader fall.

Suddenly their ship starts to shake as the rudder of the ship was forcibly removed. The fishman sitting on the railing lets out a quick laugh before pointing his webbed finger down. "We've just removed your rudder. And a rudderless ship...belongs on the ocean floor." He says as the ocean starts to churn beneath their ship and a gigantic whirlpool appears just in front of them.

All the marines on the ship let out a cry of anguish as they prepare for their inevitable demise. As everyone on the ship starts to panic except for the fishman who simply sits there laughing, no one notices a certain blond man leap onto the ship until he kicks the fishman square in the face sending him flying directly into the whirlpool.

The commotion Naruto caused with his little stunt didn't go unnoticed as several marines noticed what he just did. One points to him as he shakes. "W-Who are you? How did you get on the ship?" He questioned Naruto.

A simple glare from Naruto was enough to shut them up as he makes his usual hand sign. "I'm here to save you morons! So just shut up for a moment."

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He calls out and about sixty clones of Naruto appear at random points on the ship. Once the clones appear they immediately go to work and they each grab 1-2 marines before leaping a fair distance away from the ship and race back to shore. The original Naruto grabs the commodore and the marine who tried asking who he was. The entire way back to shore many of the marines were screaming. A couple of the clones ended up threatening the marines to either shut up or they'd dump them into the water. Needless to say the majority of the marines shut up except for a few individuals who were quickly dunked into the water and dragged across the surface the rest of the way.

From the top of the cliff the trio had seen the entire rescue as well as Naruto smashing in the fishmans face and once they saw where Naruto was bringing his rescued Marines, they were quick to head in the same direction to help out in whatever way was needed. Once Naruto and his clones reach they shore in a small cove they all unceremoniously dropped the marines onto the sand except for the injured Commodore. With their jobs done the clones all disperse simultaneously leaving just the original.

Once the doctor arrived he quickly races over to the marines and begins to administer treatment to the wounded. With his task accomplished Naruto heads over to the cliff and leaps up a little ways to a ledge and lays back against the cliff in a comfortable position to oversee the small cove. The doctor turns to Nojiko and Genzo. "Hey do you guys mind quickly heading back to town to get some more bandages and medication?" The duo nod and race off in the direction of the village.

Most of the rescued marines keep a cautious eye on their so called saviour, especially since they knew nothing about him and couldn't completely trust him. After several minutes of uneasy silence the Commodore finally regains consciousness. "Ugh...where am I?" He asks as he looks around at his fellow marines on the beach. One of them walks towards him. "We're all glad your alive Sir. But unfortunately we're now all shipwrecked on this island. The fishmen managed to sink the ship when they somehow managed to create a whirlpool directly in front of the ship!." The marine tells his commander with a solemn look on his face.

"What? If they managed to create a whirlpool then how the hell are we still alive?" Purinpurin asks the marines. In unison all the marines point to the blond man sitting on the cliffside. The commodore looks up at the blond who in turn waves at him. He looks back at the marines. "Impossible. There's no way a single man could have done that. Now we still have two important missions to accomplish and we need a ship for both of them. Now as we were arriving to this island there was a fair sized vessel docked not too far away from the remains of the village of Gosa so we will have to confiscate it to rescue the people of this island." He tells his men who all cheer at his idea.

"Not a chance in hell are you stealing my ship you bastard!"

Commodore Purinpurin and the marines all turn to the source of the outburst to discover it was the blond who said it. Naruto was glaring at them from his position on the cliff. The commodore looks up at him. "I'm sorry young man but I have the authority to seize that ship especially if it's to rescue civilians. I can assure you that the ship will be returned to you once these missions are accomplished. Besides my orders come directly from Fleet Admiral Sengoku to locate and escort a VIP to Loguetown!" He says as he stares down Naruto.

"And as I said. You're not taking my ship. After arriving on this island I came to a decision to help the people here however they seem to want to deal with it themselves. Also you can tell Sengoku-san that I don't need a damn escort and I already told him that!" Naruto explains.

"Huh? What are you talking about kid? I said we were to escort a VIP not some little brat who's probably from some backwater land! This VIP is one of the leaders of another nation who is on his way to Marine HQ to talk with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the other higher ups about establishing an alliance as well as having them join the World Government." The Commodore says with a smug look on his face. After a few moments of silence Naruto vanishes from his cliffside seat to reappear directly in front of the Purinpurin, and getting right in his face before saying anything more. "And didn't Sengoku-san tell you the name of this so called VIP? Because if the man your looking for is called Naruto Uzumaki then your looking at him!" Once Naruto gives him that answer he then backs a few feet away and looks at the marine with a smug and superior look.

This comment was more than enough to make the marine commodore to shut up and go pale as he realized that the young man before him that he had just been so rude to was in fact the very VIP he and his men were supposed to locate. The other marines in the cove soon shared the same pale expression as this new information sank in. Naruto looks at their expressions as he grins. "Looks like I was right, wasn't I...Commodore?"

The man slowly nods as before he tries to regain his rapidly lost composure. "I-I'm sorry about the disrespect Uzumaki-dono. I hope you can forgive me for my rash actions."

Naruto looks the man in the eye for a moment before letting out a quick sigh. "Ya...I guess I can forgive you." As Naruto says this both the marines and Purinpurin let out a sigh of relief. But before the Commodore can say anything he notices that Naruto eyes seem focused on something on top of the cliff. He follows his gaze to behold a tall white haired woman wearing a mask whom had a sword on her back was looking down at the group. "Who goes there?!" Purinpurin demands of the woman as he reaches for a weapon to defend himself as well as the VIP he was sent to guard. His hand reaches a sword which he wastes no time in drawing as he positions himself between Naruto and the woman.

The woman tilts her head in slight confusion for a moment before she vanishes from sight in a small shroud of mist and instantly reappears at Purinpurins side in a crouched position with the tip of her sword resting just under his chin. "Drop the weapon...or die!" She orders as the nearby marines fall back in shock at her sudden reappearance. Purinpurin was currently sweating and slightly shaking as he feels the tip of the blade under his chin. With slow and careful movements he makes it looks as if he's about to drop the sword however Naruto was able to tell that the man was preparing to do.

"Its fine Aurora-san. The guy's harmless." Naruto quickly tells her before she was forced to impale the man. Her emerald eyes rest on Naruto for a moment before she retracts her sword and placing it on her back as she stands upright. "Yes Naruto-sama." Aurora says before she walks over to Naruto. "I have the information you requested on Arlong."

With a grin Naruto nods to her. "Thanks Aurora-san. Also what is Zoros condition?" He inquirers.

Aurora then informs Naruto about everything that happened in Arlong Park since her arrival up to and including the fake assassination of Usopp by Namis hands. Naruto remains quiet as he listens to her every word. Even the marines were silent throughout her entire explanation. "...and I was about to interfere and rescue the long nosed one as you would have wished, however I noticed the path of the blade wasn't going to actually kill him since the orange haired woman the fishmen called Nami instead chose to stab her own hand to make it appear as if she did in fact kill him."

Naruto raises a hand and strokes his chin as he thinks on what Aurora just told him. "Hmm...that was quite brave of Nami-san to do that. I'm impressed." He says as he smiles to himself. "Was that everything Aurora-san? Was there anything that happened after Nami-san left?"

Aurora nods. "Yes...The one known as Arlong spoke to his crew and admitted that he had no intention of letting Nami leave his crew so he took one of those transponder snails and called someone named Nezumi. He spoke about making a deal with the marine that if he confiscated her money for Arlong then he would allow Nezumi to keep a portion of it himself."

"...What?" Naruto asks as his eyes go wide. Not only him but the doctor stops treating one of the marines to race over to Aurora. "Are you serious? Did that bastard really say that?" He asks Aurora who simply nods. "Dammit! He really had no intention to honour their agreement and will continue to make our poor Nami suffer!" The doctor says as he drops to his knees and pounds his fists into the sand in anger.

The sound of a loud crash attracts everyones attention back to the cliff which now had a large crater in it with Narutos fist at the centre. "That bastard...I'll gut him for this!" Naruto openly threatens as a faint red glow begins to surround him. He turns towards Purinpurin and the marines who then notice the change in Narutos eyes from its usual blue to becoming red in colour with a diagonal slit. Naruto points at the doctor then at Purinpurin. "Doctor I want you to lead Purinpurin-san and his men back to Nami-san and Nojiko-sans place and I want them to arrest that corrupt bastard. Commodore...You are not to do anything more to him before I see him myself. Me and my crew will be the ones to interrogate him since we won't be anything close to gentle about it!"

The doctor and the marines give him a careful nod before Purinpurin speaks up. "Normally I wouldn't take orders from you...however since this seems to be a special case I will allow it and...reluctantly follow. So what will you and your crew be doing in the meantime Naruto-dono?" He asks with a hint of fear in his voice as his gaze stays focused on the furious blond before him.

"I intent to go to this Arlong Park myself and raze it to the ground!" Naruto says before he turns to an unflinching Aurora who didn't seem at all fazed by him. "Aurora-san! I want you to quickly head back to the ship and bring TenTen-chan, Lisanna-chan as well as Kankuro to Arlong Park as soon as you can. Now I know I can handle this myself however...It doesn't hurt to be careful." He then closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to calm himself. When he finally opens them the marines breath another sigh of relief as they see that his eyes have reverted back to normal and the strange red shroud has dissipated.

Aurora nods to him before racing out into the bay and makes her way back to the ship as she races across the waters surface.

Purinpurin sweat drops as he watches her leave before turning back to his men. "Alright marines! We have our orders and we will carry them out perfectly! Doctor-san would you please lead the way?" Says Purinpurin to his men then to the doctor who nods and leads the way.

Now being the only one left in the clearing Naruto takes a moment to crack his knuckles as he hears a familiar deep voice in his head.** "**_**That plan is unnecessary and you know it. Why not just transform into me and simply blow up the pirates with a Bijudama? Or is that too gentle a punishment?"**_ Says Narutos partner the gigantic nine-tailed fox known as Kurama.

"Ya if I did that then it would be over in an instant. However it would also be painless for them and that just won't do since they've made this entire island and its inhabitants suffer for eight long years." Naruto says to Kurama who chuckles in amusement. **"Agreed so lets go teach this fish a lesson on who's at the top of the food chain. And that would be me of course!"** Kurama states with a wicked foxy grin.

With his inner conversation finished he then races off to Arlong Park to send that shark packing.

* * *

Ok once again I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. Since I just managed to finish beating the storyline in the game I figured I should finish this chapter as well as another before picking up the controller again to make it up to you all. Thank you all for your patience and I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well as the fight between Naruto and Arlong!

I do love reading all your wonderful reviews since it also gives me more motivation to write. Now I hope that gives you all some motivation as well lol!


	12. Chapter 12

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**'Demon/Summon thinking'**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

As Naruto makes his way towards Arlong park he passes by Cocoyashi and slows down a little as he hears someone crying and muttering to themselves. _'Huh? Where's that coming from...the voice sounds familiar.'_ He thinks to himself as he looks from the village to the path before him leading to Arlong Park. After a moment of hesitation he changes direction to the village.

At Narutos current pace it takes him less than a minute to come to a stop on a building overlooking the centre of the village. He looks around to see a young orange haired woman with a familiar straw hat on her head, but what really caught his attention was the wound on her left shoulder which was pouring out blood. _'Is that who I think it is?'_ He wastes no time in jumping from his vantage point and landing in front of her.

XxX Namis POV XxX

_'How dare that Alrong go against his word like that! I mean I've done everything he's asked...I made all those damn charts for him for the past eight years and now that I've almost collected the entire one hundred million beri he pulls this!'_ Nami thinks to herself as tears continue to fall from her eyes. She raises one of her hands to her shoulder to try and stop the bleeding from her self inflicted wound. "Why? Why didn't I just ask Naruto-san for help when I had the chance?" Nami quietly asks herself.

"Because you were trying to take on all the hardship yourself..."

She opens her eyes once the sound of the voice reaches her ears. With her now opened eyes she notices someone was standing in front of her. She slowly looks up and her gaze comes to rest on a blond haired mans clear blue eyes and realizes that its Naruto in front of her. "Naruto-san?"

XxX Narutos POV XxX

Naruto looks down at the young woman wearing the straw hat who's on her knees crying. He hears her quiet voice. "Why? Why didn't I just ask Naruto-san for help when I had the chance?"

"Because you were trying to take on all the hardship yourself..." Naruto says as his gaze is firmly focused on her.

Nami slowly raises her head until she's looking directly into Narutos eyes. "Naruto-san?" She asks in disbelief.

"Ya...It's me Nami-san." Naruto says with a weak smile. He then turns around and crouches down. "It's a good thing that I found you. Because my next stop was Arlong Park and I'm bringing you with me to see that bastard finally fall! So just climb onto my back and we'll be off."

With a small groan of pain Nami crawls onto Narutos back and wraps her arms around his neck. "Just don't try and cop a feel on the way." Nami tells him with a small grin. Naruto just chuckles at her comment. "Don't worry. Cause unlike my master I wouldn't try such a thing." As Naruto tell her this to reassure her he reaches back and grips his hands to each other and places them beneath her. He then stands up and once again races off in the direction of Arlong Park.

XxX

When Arlong Park was in sight the rest of Narutos crew arrive as well as a still annoyed Kankuro. They all take up various positions around Naruto. "So why did you call us all here Naruto-kun?" Lisanna asks as she notices Nami on Narutos back. He takes a moment to glance her way before looking forward again. "That's because...We're gonna take down some bastard called Arlong who's ruined the lives of everyone on this island!" Naruto tells them.

The group eyes him curiously. "So petty much we're going there to raise some hell. That about right Naruto?" Kankuro asks and is quite pleased when Naruto nods. "Heh good. I guess your off the hook this time just as long as I can take out some stress on the enemy." Naruto merely rolls his eyes at this comment as a small grin forms on his face.

As the group nears Arlong park they notice a large hole in the wall where a door used to stand and a pair of wounded human swordsmen standing at the entry keeping the villagers out. The dark haired swordsman wearing glasses looks at Narutos group. "We can't let anyone in there right now. You guys and all the villagers don't stand a chance against Arlong and his crew. But don't worry Luffy-aniki, Zoro-aniki, Sanji-aniki and Usopp-aniki will be able to take care of him." He says before noticing Nami resting on Narutos back, then he notices her wounded shoulder. "Hey Nami-aneki! Are you alright?"

The other guy wearing a green overcoat and red headgear glares at Naruto for a moment as his hand clenches his sword. "Did you hurt her whisker face? Cause if so then so help me I'd-" He starts to say but is quickly interrupted by Nami. "Wait Yosaku-san! Naruto-san didn't do this! In my anger I hurt myself...also you don't stand a chance against him..." Nami states which brings looks of confusion from the pair as well as most of the nearby villagers. Naruto gently lets Nami down and begins to walk forward. "Just where is this Arlong?" Naruto asks as he moves closer to the entrance. A random villager points across Arlong Park to a destroyed wall with a Fishman with a long and jagged nose laying in the rubble.

"Huh? Who's that blond over there with the weird whisker marks on his face?" Asks the smoking blond wearing a suit who was with a group standing in the middle of the fortress points in Narutos direction. His question makes the other three look where he's pointing. "Isn't that Naruto-san?" The green haired swordsman known as Zoro asks as if trying to remember. Then the kid who usually wears the straw hat turns around and notices him. "Hey ya that's that ninja guy who's super fast! Just what are you doing here?" Luffy says before getting excited and asks Naruto another question. "Have you come to join my crew?!"

Naruto sweatdrops at the question as he starts to shake his head. "Uh...no. We came here to kick Arlongs ass. Which is why you're here too right?" He says and Luffys group all nod to show that yes that's why they're all there. Just as Luffy opens his mouth to say something the sound of Arlong laughing catches everyones attention. "Ninjas? You should all know very well that true Shinobi have all died out hundreds of years ago! The only ones that remain are pathetic by comparison." Arlong states as he starts to get up, all the while he continues to chuckle. Once he's standing he then points a webbed finger in Narutos direction. "Real shinobi had the power to control the very elements of nature! They could do some of the most amazing things that shouldn't even be possible such as walk on the waters surface or walk up cliffs. And yet you have the audacity to claim to be one? Hahaha there's no way in hell a pathetic human like you could be one!"

"Hmm... well this is a little trick I learned a few months after I graduated from the Academy back home." Naruto says with a grin on his face as he walks over to one of the canals leading into Arlong Park and keeps walking till he's standing on the waters surface in the middle. He then turns to Arlong with his arms crossed. "Is this the kind of thing you were talking about fishface?" He asks Arlong and the other fishmen who all have their jaws dropped and are looking at him in utter disbelief. The fishmen look to Arlong for guidance as to what is going on and what they should do.

"Well...that's an interesting trick blondie, however that doesn't prove anything!" Arlong says with a weak grin as he tries to figure out just how the kid was doing that.

"Hey Naruto-san! I know where this is going! I had dibs on Arlong so leave him to me!" Luffy yells out to Nartuo but all the while he had stars in his eyes as he had just seen what Naruto had done. The blonde haired shinobi looks towards Luffy and company for a moment as he thinks to himself before he vanishes in a swirl of leaves only to reappear beside luffy with an arm draped over his shoulder. "Well I guess you guys were here first and I think we can all agree that what's most important right now is kicking Arlongs ass. So how about this...I'll let you have the first shot at him. However if for some reason you lose then he's all mine or if any of you are deemed unfit to fight then my comrades get to fight them in your places...sound fair?" Naruto tells him as both Zoro and the other blonde guy take a few steps back in surprise at his sudden reappearance. Luffy raises a hand and cracks his knuckes as he nods in agreement. With a small smile Naruto takes his arm off of Luffy and places both hands in his pockets as he walks back towards the ruined entrance of Arlong Park.

As Naruto walks away he overhears the blonde guy in the suit asking Usopp a question. "Just who the hell is that guy Usopp?" He asks and Usopp responds. "Well Sanji from what I've been told, he's one of the leaders of an entire country known as the Elemental Nations. That girl with the hair buns called TenTen-san over there with him said that he managed to beat someone who had some kind of monstrous power. Also his name is Naruto Uzu-something or other..." Usopp explains and once he finishes Sanji turns around and notices the three lovely women standing close to Naruto. Within that very instant Sanjis one visible eye forms into a heart shape as he looks at the women. "Wow what lovely mademoiselles!"

"Oi you better pay attention cook. Naruto-sans giving us the first shot so you better focus cause from what I've seen, he will be able to get the job done." Zoro mentions to the cook who then proceeds to glare at him. "Ya ya I get it." Sanji says as he turns to look at this fishmen and mutters to himself that he'd prefer to look at the women instead of these ugly fish-faced freaks.

Arlong carefully eyed Naruto who was over by the ruined entrance and at that point he redirects his attention to Luffys group. "I guess I can wring your necks and paper my walls with your hides!" He threatens them as he steps forward. Just as Arlong gets halfway to Luffy a trio of his fishmen crewmates step in between them. "You needn't trouble yourself over lowlifes such as these Arlong. We will be more than enough for the likes of them." Says the fishman with the long hair braid.

With a jagged toothy grin Arlong nods to the trio. "Very well Kuroobi. You Hatchi and Choo can take them on. But why not bring out MoMoo to kick things off?" He tells them.

The octopus fishman known as Hatchi steps forward and moves a hand up to his mouth. Using his mouth like a bugal he makes an assortment of honking sounds. "Arise giant warrior! Come on out MoMoo!" Hatchi calls out after making a racket. Then the waters in the canal start to rise and a large cow-fish creature with a horn on either side of its massive head as well as a nose ring emerges. "Moo" It weakly calls out. Upon closer inspection there was a coil of rope tied around one of its horns as well as a bump on its head.

MoMoo looks around from Arlong towards the villagers but comes to a complete stop when it's gaze drifts over Luffy and company. The sea cow starts to shake and quiver in fear as if it had been traumatized in some way in the past by them.

"Hey it's that cow from before." Luffy remarks.

"Hmmm...seems so. I guess he works for these crap-fish." Says Sanji as he glances at the great beast.

After a few more moments of quivering the sea cow MoMoo turns around and starts to swim away towards to open sea. "Just where do you think your going MoMoo?" Arlong asks the beast with clear malice in his voice. "If you want to run away that's fine but...how far do you think you'll get?" He asks in a quite threatening manner causing the beast to hesitate for a few moments before it turns around to attack Luffy.

"Heh I got this!" Luffy states with a smirk as he raises a leg into the air and proceeds to impale his foot into the concrete and does the same with his other. As Luffy does this both Zoro and Sanji look at him curiously as they're still within a few feet of him. But once Luffy starts to twist and turn his body repeatidly and stops once he felt like it was enough. He then stretches his hands out and grabs the cow by its horns. "This...can't be good..." Zoro slowly says as he starts to back away. Usopp on the other hand has already turned and started running for cover screaming for them to run.

"Gum Gum Windmill!" Luffy screams out as he starts twirling the cow in a circle around him taking out the rest of the fishmen minus Arlong himself and his three officers. Once he lets go, the cow is then sent flying off into the distance and lands with a huge splash. "I didn't come here to mess with the small fry. I came here to kick your ass Arlong!" Luffy says as he points a finger in Arlongs direction.

"HehHeh Well Straw Hat it would seem that you've already lost." Arlong says as he makes his way over to Luffy and easily dodges the few attacks sent his way. "Just how have I lost Shark Face?" Asks Luffy as he continue to try and attack the oncoming Arlong.

"Because you've obviously eaten a Devil Fruit." Arlong informs him as he grabs one of Luffys hands that came at him. He then proceeds to imbed a hand into the concrete and lifts up a large block of it which Luffy is still imbedded in. "And Devil Fruit users can't swim...although in your situation you wouldn't be able to anyways." He says with a grin as he then hurls Luffy into the water canal. Arlong then turns to Naruto. "Like I said...He's already lost!"

Near the entrance Nami covers her mouth in horror as he watches Luffy fly into the air and land in the water. "No...Luffy..."

Arlongs men then take up positions close to the canal to prevent anyone from jumping in to save him much to his crews dismay. Zoro starts to walk over to the octopus fishman, but the entire time he was panting and sweat was dripping off his brow. Just as he starts to get closer to Hatchi a tall women steps in between them. "Oi what's your problem?" Zoro asks her in confusion and then notices a strangely shaped sword on her back.

She turns toward him. "You smell of blood...and by the colour of your face as well as the fact that your gasping for breath indicates...your in no shape to fight." Aurora states as she reaches for her mask and places it over her face. "Now wait just a damn minute... there's no way you could know for sure that I can't fight!" Zoro angerly retorts causing Aurora to sigh a little in frustration before turning around and placing a hand on his shoulder. She then grips his bandage and tears it off without remorse. Zoro actually cringes in pain as blood begins to pour out of his badly treated wound. Many of the people that were close enough to see the wound place a hand over their mouths as they gasp. Even Arlong was surprised that Zoro was actually able to move in that condition. Aurora glares at him through her mask and reaches to her back and grips her sword. "Now step aside...or I'll use my sword and stitch it up here and now!" She threatens.

"NO!" Zoro says once again as he clenches a hand to his wound.

"...Stubborn fool." Aurora says as she shakes her head. She then takes her hand off her sword and makes a couple quick handsigns. "I warned you...now I'll have to waste chakra...hope your happy."

Zoro tilts his head in confusion as he watches her go through a couple different handsigns. "Water Style: Multi Water Whip Jutsu!"

Suddenly several thin water tentacles spring out of the water and wrap themselves around Zoros arms and legs, effectively immobilized him. As the water tentacles raise out of the water everyone including the fishmen move away from the water in fear. Once Zoro was unable to move Aurora then replaces a hand on her sword and removes it from her back. She suddenly disappears and reappears behind Zoro. He looks around in confusion wondering what she did because he didn't feel any different. "Was that all?" He says with a cocky grin but his expression soon changes as she gives her right arm a quick twist and Zoros wound was quickly forced together and caused Zoro to loudly groan out in pain. Aurora then flashes another quick handsign and the water tentacles dissipate causing Zoro to fall over and was barely able to catch himself in time.

As everyone else was focused on what the swordswoman just did, both Nojiko and Genzo sneak off to the far end of the canal and lower themselves into the water so they may try and save Luffy.

XxX Aurora VS Hatchi XxX

Aurora turns towards Hatchi and points her sword in his direction. "Now you're next." She informs the worried octopus. Hatchi takes a couple steps towards the sole building in Arlong Park. "J-Just g-give me a m-minute...I just need to grab my swords..." He manages to say as Aurora gives him a small nod allowing him to leave for a moment.

Just as Hatchi reaches the building one of the villagers calls out. "Hey what are you waiting for? Just take him down already!"

The mist shinobi turns to glare at the villager causing them to shut up. "No...I won't attack a defenceless opponent." She says as she turns back to the relieved Hatchi. "Besides...I prefer to tear them apart when they can defend themselves. I especially love watching the fear in their eyes once they realize they can't measure up and are going to die!" She sadistically adds causing a couple weak-hearted villagers to faint and fall over.

After a minute or so Hatchi finally exits the building and wields six swords. Hatchi moves out into the open and takes a stance as he prepares to defend himself. Aurora grips her sword and hurls it at Hatchi, much to his surprise.

As Hatchi watches the sword fly his way he thinks to himself that since it's the only weapon she has on herself then she will be defenceless as long as he can dodge her attack. He smugly takes a step to the side. "Heh heh looks like you mis-" He begins to say before Aurora once again makes an unusual motion with her right hand and it somehow caused the sword to change direction in midair and managed to pierce straight through the right side of Hatchis chest, causing him to cough up some blood. "B-But how?" He asks.

Aurora appears behind him with her sword in hand. "This blade is called the Nuibari. Its capable of piercing all and stitching them together so it's quite easy to do something as simple as change it's direction. Now I'd love to show you more...but I think some of my crewmates might be disturbed by it...so they won't be able to see...and neither will you." She says as she raises one hand above her head and leaves the other at chest level.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu!" She quietly calls out and a thick and heavy mist begins to descend on the grounds causing everyone to be unable to see anything at all.

From Narutos spot he just thinks to himself. _'I kinda figured she would be capable of using this move since she came from Kirigakure. So I assume she is fluent in the silent killing technique as well.'_ He then leans over towards Lisanna who was fidgiting. He gently places a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump a little in surprise. "Calm down. You're gonna be fine so don't worry. Besides I'm here." He tells her in an attempt to reassure and calm her down. Lisanna slowly nods and tries her best.

A loud scream echos across the vicinity as they realize that someone just got badly hurt. Not long after the scream rang out does the mist soon begin to dissipate showing Hatchi laying on his back with his hands actually stitched to various points on his body. His upper arms were stitched to either shoulder, his middle arms were actually stitched to his crotch which was obviously very painful for him, and his lower arms were attached to either side of his face. "I left you alive this time fishman...but only so that you may live with the fear that I could do this to you again at anytime of my pleasing..." Aurora says as she gently strokes the side of his head. "Yes...yes that's the look I was going for..." She further states as she looks into his terror-filled eyes.

She then walks back over to Naruto and once she arrives at his side she removes the mask to show a creepy grin. Naruto turns to her. "Let me guess...Your a sadist aren't you?" He asks with a small sigh. She smiles at him for a moment. "Only in the heat of battle Naruto-sama!"

Naruto nods and looks at the remaining fishmen as he sweatdrops. _'Dear kami! Somehow I got the mist villages version of Anko!'_ He thinks to himself as Aurora licks the blood off her sword.

Somewhere back in the Elemental Nations a shinobi of Konohagakure sneezes. As she reaches up to wipe her nose she thinks to herself. _'Hmm someone hot must be talking about me.'_

XxX Kankuro VS Choo XxX

The hooded shinobi looks at the state of the octopus fishman and smiles to himself wondering just how he will beat his opponent, and who his opponent will be. One of the other fishmen with the long mouth steps forward and looks at the two remaining human pirates. Usopp looks from the fishmen to Sanji and himself wondering just what they're going to do. He figures that if push comes to shove he could quite possibly manage to beat this fishman, but he knows that he doesn't stand a chance against either Arlong or the other one who was wearing a karate uniform. But then he realizes that there are other powerful people not too far away that could beat them! Usopp turns around as his knees shake. "So um..Naruto-san? Is there anyone of you guys that want a piece of the fishmen? Because I don't have a problem with sharing."

Kankuro rolls his eyes for a moment as he realizes just how cowardly the long nosed guy is. With a quick sigh he starts walking towards them. "Alright then long nose. I guess I can take him for ya."

"Hey Kankuro! Just a heads up but this guy seems able to shoot a weaker version of the water bullet technique!" Naruto calls out to inform him. Causing the fishman to wonder just how he knew that. Choo was trying to figure out how the blond kid knew as he was gently rubbing his temple but he wasn't able to clear his head of the massive headache that was brought on earlier that day. After a few short moments he then realized why the kid knew. He points a finger in Narutos direction. "Hey were you the one who sucker punched me into the whirlpool earlier today?!" He asks and was replied with a cocky grin. "Oh that's it! I'm going to kill you right now.!" Choo says as he starts walking over to Naruto but for some reason he came to a stop more than halfway and was forced to his knees. "W-What the hell?"

A chuckle catches the fishmans attention and he turns to the hooded guy whom was the source of the laughter. "You know you really shouldn't turn your back on an opponent. Especially a shinobi!" Kankuro tells him as he continues to chuckle lightly. Choo glares at him. Suddenly Choo starts punching himself in the face. "Stop punching yourself. Stop punching yourself. Stop punching yourself. And I give a brief pause...Stop punching yourself." Kankuro says as his fingers kept moving and Choo continues striking himself in the face for a couple minutes. "Just who...or what...the hell...are you?" Choo asks in between strikes.

"Heh I'm a puppet master. And by that logic...your the dummy in this puppet show." Kankuro says as he smiles at the fishman whom he's making a fool of. With every individual strike Choo gets madder and madder until he fires a water shot at Kankuro.

"Lip-O-Blaster!" Choo says as he fires a small water bullet in Kankuros direction, but he easily sidesteps the shot. Kankuro then chooses to sever his invisible chakra strings to allow the fishman to move. Once Choo realizes that he can move freely he then races to the canal and takes a big drink of the water. He quickly turns toward the wall where Kankuro was standing.

"Lip-O-Cannon!" The fishman calls out as a large glob of water was shot out and strikes Kankuros body and takes out a fair portion of the wall. "Ha take that you damned human!" Choo happily states as he thrusts his arms into the air to signify his victory.

"Well you seem happy."

Choo freezes and slowly turns toward the the deck on the second level of their fortress to see a complely uninjured Kankuro leaning against the railing and looking at him with a smug look on his face. "You! But I just shot you so how the hell are you fine?!" Choo asks as he points a shakey finger in Kankuros direction. "Well you shot AT me but you sure didn't hit me. Now why don't you try that again and we'll see what happens this time around." Kankuro says as he sits on the railing facing in Choos direction.

The fishmans face turn red in anger as he goes to prepare for another shot. But just as he prepares to fire he suddenly finds that we can't move his body again, and to make matters worse his head was slowly moving forward in a downwards motion and comes to rest just in front of his crotch. Needless to say that once Choos face was positioned in that particular spot his eyes grew wide and you could practically see the terror forming in his eyes. "Well that was stupid of you. I can't believe you actually let your enemy tell you what to do...oh well I guess we can play a little game. The game is to see how long you can hold your load. Before you end up blowing your own balls off!" Kankuro tells him with a smile on his face as he can just imagine what the fish is thinking and feeling right now.

Much to everyones surprise Choo actually manages to hold onto the water for several minutes before he ends up literally blasting his balls off and he crys out with obvious pain. Kankuro then releases him yet again and allows him to cover up the gaping hole where his crotch used to reside. As he keeps an eye on the fishman he takes out two scrolls and summons up his Black Ant and Crow puppets. "Well I've had enough fun for the time being so I think that I'll finish you off now." With a quick flick of his wrist the two puppets fly towards the helpless fishman. The Black Ant puppet picks him up and places him within itself and promptly closes it's door to prevent Choo from escaping. Kankuro turns to the villagers briefly. "Those of you who have a weak heart I advise you to look away cause this WILL get quite messy." He tells them before turning back to him prisoner inside the Black Ant. The puppet Crow suddenly comes apart and from practically every floating part of it long blades slide out.

Naruto takes the opportunity to cover both Nami and Lisannas eyes to shield them from what's about to happen.

"Black Secret Technique!: Art of the Iron Maiden Version I!"

All the floating blades quickly fly downwards and pierce into the other puppet, all anyone can hear is a faint cry of pain before utter silence fills the air. The thing that catches everyones attention is the large amount of blood that began to pour out of the puppet.

Back on the sidelines Usopp then faints at what he had just witnessed and a couple of the nearby villagers brought up their hands to cover their noses as a stranger odour starts wafting towards them.

XxX Sanji VS Kuroobi XxX

"...Well I guess that counts as another win for that group..." Sanji states as he looks towards Arlong and the only other remaining fishman. "I guess that means that we're up now you crap-fish." Sanji says as he takes his cigarette out of his mouth and points it at Kuroobi. But just as he prepares to rush out and attack, a hand is gently placed on his shoulder. He turns his head and his eye instantly lights up as he notices a dark haired beauty. "Ah yes what can I do for you kitten?" Sanji asks her with a heart in his eye and doesn't notice the momentary look of surprise and confusion that crosses Lisannas face.

"Umm...well Sanji-san. I was wondering if you could let me have a go at him first?" She asks as she looks up into his eyes causing him to stumble back a little.

"I..uh...Well I really shouldn't. I-I mean I wouldn't want you to get hurt." Sanji stutters as he try to convince her otherwise. Lisanna then takes a deep breath and moves a bit closer to him. She raises a hand into the air and runs her fingers through Sanjis hair for a moment before going up to her tiptoes and whispers in his ear. "Won't you please do this for me...Sanji-san? It would mean ever so much to me." She tells Sanji causing his ears to noticeably whistle as air escapes, and his cigarette drops to the ground as his jaw drops. He responds with a nod as he slowly walks back over to the entrance. As he leaves Lisanna shivers a little before turning towards the fishman Kuroobi.

XxX Lisanna VS Kuroobi XxX

The fishman crosses his arms as he looks at the young woman standing before him. "Do you honestly think you stand a chance against me little girl?"

"Oh I'm sure I can handle myself. The real question is...can you handle me?" Lisanna taunts as she turns her body to the side, spaces her feet out and raises a hand out in front of her and the other hand is postioned close to her chest.

Kuroobi looks at her in surprise. "That's a martial arts stance...but I don't recognize the school..."

She grins a little. "Because it's my own personal style of mixed martial arts!" Lisanna tells him.

"Heh this should be fun." He states before he rushes over towards Lisanna. He thrusts a fist forward and just as the strike is about to land she slightly adjusts her stance in such a way that his fist just barely misses her and positions herself directly in front of him. With a quick and fluid motion she grabs his arm as she turns around and uses his own momentum to fling him over her shoulder and into the ground head first.

There was a loud crashing sound as Kuroobis head makes contact with the concrete. Lisanna leans forward a bit. "So...am I an easy enough opponent?" She asks him as a grin crosses her face.

Much to her surprise Kuroobi manages to get up and without wasting a moment he grabs her by her shoulders and lifts her into the air. "Ya you are actually!" He says.

Lisanna then strikes him in on the underside of his chin with the palm of her right hand causing him to flinch a little. "Ha ha did you really think that would hurt me? From this position you can't use nearly enough force for that kinda strike to work." Kuroobi taunts her but is surprised when she just smiles at him. "I know...that's why this is a two part strike." Lisanna tells him.

"Ma Style Takusousho!" She then moves her other hand just below her elbow which was out of the fishmans sight. With a quick motion she pushes her hand into her elbow sending a fair amount of force directly into Kuroobis chin causing him to be sent flying upwards a short ways. Lisanna then gently brushes a couple strands of her hair that was hanging down in front of her face so it was now behind her ear.

Well I guess I should get a little serious now. She then changes into her cat-girl form which surprises everyone except for Naruto and his group. She waits for Kuroobi to stand up and once he does, she then races forward. As she nears him she raises a leg and steps on Kuroobis kneecap and kicks upward with her other foot. But she doesn't stop there, she then continues by thrusting her tail out to wrap around his exposed neck to swing the two of them around in midair so that he was once again facing the ground.

Lisanna now positions both of her feet so they're resting on the underside of his chin as she wraps her arms around his legs. "Neko Style Piledriver!" Once his head makes contact she immedietly leaps backwards and lands on her hands and feet.

Naruto watches the fight with apparent interest especially since the move she used looked very similar to one that he's seen before. _'Wow I totally didn't see that coming! I know she can rework that technique to make it far better...Also just why the hell would she ask me to train her if she's already this good?'_ He thinks to himself.

Kuroobi slowly gets up as his hand is gently resting against the side of his head in a vain attempt to halt the throbbing. "Ugh...what the hell was that?"

He then looks around and notices that Lisannas form has changed as she stands there with her hands behind her back. "What the hell? Attacks from someone as small as you shouldn't be able to do nearly this much damage." Kuroobi asks as he glares at the cat-girl who was smiling at him. "True. I'm not physically strong. However...It doesn't matter how strong you are...if you can't hit your enemy!" She informs him before once again racing forward.

This time as Lisanna nears him she leans back so she just slides right between his feet, and just as she slides past him she raises her legs into the air and pushes off with her arms and leaps into the air directly behind him. And kicks him in the back of the head making him fall over.

She doesn't waste the oppertunity and takes his ponytail and uses it to hogtie him. And once she finishes, she sits on his back and looks down at him struggling. "I guess I was too strong for a big tough guy like you to handle huh?" She mentions to him with a smug look on her face. Lisanna then gets up and heads back over to the entrance to allow Naruto to take the stage and show Arlong who's boss.

XxX Naruto VS Arlong XxX

"Well I guess it's finally my turn. Isn't that right Arlong?" Naruto says with a cheerful smile as all of Arlongs best officers had been bested and beaten to bloody pulps. Arlong looks on at Naruto with a furious glare but he does his best to restrain himself since from what he's witnessed from the previous battles, those from the Elemental Nations are no joke and that their strength was very real! "Well I admit that compared to the usual pathetic humans...your group is certainly in a class of your own... but lets see how you deal with real monsters! He then walks over to a nearby gong and lifts it up bringing a look of curiousity from Naruto. Arlong grins as he walks it over to the waters edge and places it halfway in before striking it hard enough to cause the water itself to churn.

Within moments a large column of water shoots into the air a short distance into the ocean from Arlong Park and a gigantic crablike creature rears out of the water and raises a massive jagged claw into the air menacingly. "Well...what do you think about this Uzumaki? This is Cisn! Also known also known as Citizen Snips among my crew. His ferocious claw has split many a ship in two with a single motion." Arlong tells him with a wicked grin plastered over his face, but his smug look is just dropped as he notices Narutos reaction. Once Naruto had seen the giant crab he just turned to his cat-girl crewmate Lisanna and actually asked if she wanted to have the crab for supper since she apparently loved seafood much to Arlongs fury.

"AGH CITIZEN SNIPS! KILL THESE DAMN HUMANS!" Arlong furiously orders the giant crustacean who starts to make its way towards the group but just as it's at the halfway point, it was suddenly dragged underwater. Everyone looks at the ocean in confusion as they were all wondering what happened to the crab but it was then flung out of the water and sent flying into the nearby forest causing the villagers to scream out in fear as it landed not too far from them. The very question that was on everyones minds was. 'Just what the hell happened?' But their question was soon answered as another gigantic sea creature surfaced within the canal in Arlong Park. However this one had a very odd shape. It had eight tentacles, a human-like upper-body but with the head of an ox with one partially missing horn.

All the villagers, Luffys crew as well as Arlong himself were all wide-eyed with their jaws dropped as they see the monstrosity in front of them. Some of the villagers screamed out stuff like. "What the hell is that thing." as well as "Is than another beast from the Grand Line?" Narutos group minus Lisanna were surprised as well, however instead of freaking out like everyone else they instead all did a synchronized face-palm at the sight of the creature before them. Kankuro was the first of them to say anything. "You have got to be fucking kidding me." He says as he begins to shake his head. "No, Anyone...Anything but him. Just what the hell is Killer Bee doing all the way out here?" TenTen says to herself but is overheard by Usopp.

"Huh? W-What do you mean by K-Killer B-B-Bee? In case you haven't noticed...THAT THING is not a BEE! It some kinda monster that has to be from the Grand Line!" Usopp esthetically says as he shivers in fear and doesn't even notice that the creature seemed to have a large cement block in its hand that contained Luffys unconscious body as well as Nojiko who had dived down to try and save him. She was suffice to say absolutely terrified to be so close to the beast.

Other than the screams of terror from the villagers as well as the two in the beasts hand, the only other sound was the laughter coming from Naruto. Sanji looks over at his fellow blond and proceeds to yell at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? That creature is about to eat Namis lovely sister and all you can do is LAUGH?"

A big grin forms on Narutos face as he jumps onto the creatures outstreached hand. Once he lands Nojiko takes the opportunity to crawl over and attempt to hide behind Naruto. "Yo it's been a long time Bee! Am I right to assume you've come to join us? And whatever your answer you better not make a fuss." Naruto happily says as he looks up into the beasts large eyes. Just about everyone else sweatdrops at Narutos comment as well as the fact that he seems to be acquainted with the creature. But what really surprises them is that the beast begins to talk right back at him. **"I can see you've been working on yo rhymes. And without bustin any lines! You seem to be doing well from as far as I can see. That be da truth from the one and only Killa Bee. AH YA!"** Bee says to Naruto as he raises his other arm and forms a fist which Naruto does the same. They then pound fists in greeting before looking at their audience who are staring at them in complete silence.

"What?"

"**What?"**

After a few more moments of silence Naruto finally realizes what's the matter. "Um...I think you should probably head to the ship for now and drop your stuff off." Naruto quietly tells him before he turns to Aurora. "Hey Aurora-san do you mind taking Bee back to the ship? Especially before the other villagers freak out anymore." He asks and Aurora looks at Bee for a moment before turning around and heads in the direction of their ship to show Bee the way.

Killer Bee then gently sets down Nojiko and Luffy before he follows Aurora by taking the sea route and once he's gone Naruto looks back at Arlong. "Well I guess we should get started don't you think shark-face?"

Arlong cracks his knuckles before moving towards the canal and dips his hand into the water and then turns towards Naruto. "Heh I agree Uzumaki however all I require to kill a human such as you is just this." Arlong says as he pulls his arm back and then flings the water in Narutos direction. "Water Shot!"

The water shoot towards Naruto at a speed far faster than Choos water gun could ever hoped to reach. It only takes a moment for the water to strike Naruto but suddenly Narutos body disappears in a puff of smoke and a splintered log was in his place. Arlong turns his head from side to side as he tries to find Naruto. But hiding in his blind spot was Naruto whom was crouching on the ground with a blueish-white sphere in his hand. "Leaf Style Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death Rasangan Style!" With one quick motion Naruto thrusts the sphere into Arlongs ass who was then sent flying into the fortress in a spinning motion.

Naruto lets out a loud laugh as he could just imagine the look on Arlongs face as the rasangan struck him in that particular vulnerable area. But Naruto doesn't laugh for too long and creates about thirty clones, and moments after the clones appear does a large section of the fortress come crashing down with Arlong in the centre of the hole and he's wielding a long and jagged sword.

"It's Arlongs Shark Saw! Be careful Naruto-san!" Nami calls out from the sidelines. Arlong looks at the group of clones curiously before leaping down in the the centre of the group to show he doesn't fear Naruto. A nearby clone rushes at him only to be instantly cut down by the sword and then the clone disappears in a puff of smoke. "Is this a joke Uzumaki? Do you actually think that these weak things stand a chance against me?" Arlong says as he rushes into the group and cuts down two more nearby clones, but much to his surprise these clones didn't disappear in a puff of smoke...no, once they were killed they turned into a liquid and the splatter covered Arlong. The fishman looks at his drenched arm in confusion before bringing it up and notices that it doesn't smell of water. Suddenly Arlong gets a sudden chill running down his spine so he quickly turns and strikes another clone that had sneaked up on him then once he makes contact the clone explodes and to makes matters worse for Arlong the explosion also sets the oil that covered his body on fire!

Arlong lets out a roar of pain as he rolls around on the ground in a vain attempt to extinguish the flames covering his body. Arlongs eyes change into slits as he glares at the shinobi who was riled him up so much. "What the fuck Uzumaki! Are you only capable of using cheap tricks like these? Are you really that scared to go all out against me and fight seriously?" Arlong yells at Naruto in an attempt to provoke him.

Both Kankuro and TenTens eyes go wide as they hear Arlong provoking Naruto. "You have gotta be shitting me..." Kankuro states at he looks on in disbelief. TenTen then takes the opportunity to rush over to the villagers. "Ok you all have to go...as in RIGHT NOW! You have no idea what's about to go down!" TenTen quickly tells the confused villagers whom only leave because they see her worried expression. Both her and Kankuro do their best to shepherd the villagers back home as fast as possiable.

"So...you really want me to go all out then Arlong?" Naruto asks with a smirk on his face as he cracks his knuckles. "Heh well...if you think you can handle it then..."

* * *

Now some of you are probably wondering why I'm having Narutos crew do the fighting this time around. The reason is because I wanted to showcase their different skills and abilities. However after this arc is done so will be the interaction between Naruto and Luffys future enemies unless he comes across them at another point in time.


	13. Chapter 13

Ok not sure why but I really felt like writing more once I woke up this morning so here it is, the end of the Naruto VS Arlong fight. Also one thing kinda caught me off guard. I really did expect people to get downright pissed off because I left the last chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger. Not that I'm disappointed about that of course it's just like I said, it caught me off guard. But anyways I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**'Demon/Summon thinking'**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

Arlong lets out a roar of pain as he rolls around on the ground in a vain attempt to extinguish the flames covering his body. Arlongs eyes change into slits as he glares at the shinobi who was riled him up so much. "What the fuck Uzumaki! Are you only capable of using cheap tricks like these? Are you really that scared to go all out against me and fight seriously?" Arlong yells at Naruto in an attempt to provoke him.

Both Kankuro and TenTens eyes go wide as they hear Arlong provoking Naruto. "You have gotta be shitting me..." Kankuro states at he looks on in disbelief. TenTen then takes the opportunity to rush over to the villagers. "Ok you all have to go...as in RIGHT NOW! You have no idea what's about to go down!" TenTen quickly tells the confused villagers whom only leave because they see her worried expression. Both her and Kankuro do their best to shepherd the villagers back home as fast as possible.

"So...you really want me to go all out then Arlong?" Naruto asks with a smirk on his face as he cracks his knuckles. "Heh well...if you think you can handle it then..."

Just as the villagers all race back to the village TenTen hesitates for a moment before turning around to see Luffys group, Nami as well as Lisanna were all still there. _'What the hell are they all still doing there?'_ She wonders before turning around and racing back and passes by a trio of foxes that were in the nearby woods whom seemed to be watching the fights. _'Huh? I wonder why these foxes are here...and why do they seem focused on Naruto-kun? Oh well that doesn't matter now.'_ She thinks as she picks up the pace. Once she arrives she strikes the nearest one over the head which happened to be a now awakened Luffy. "Why are you all still here? Didn't you hear us tell everyone to get out of here?" She yells at them. "Huh? Why's that?" Asks Luffy.

Both Zoro and Sanji turn towards her and of course Sanji goes into his love mode at the sight of her, Zoro on the other slightly tilts his head in confusion. "Just why should we leave just because you ordered us to? I don't take orders from you!" Zoro states as he points a finger in TenTens direction.

Lisanna walks over to TenTen. "Well TenTen-san, I actually want to see Naruto-kun fight...besides it's not like Luffy-san can go anywhere with that chunk of concrete still attached to his feet like that." She tells TenTen and flinches a little once she gets glared at. "TenTen-san? If you want us to leave then at least explain why." Nami asks her bringing the rest of the group to nod in agreement.

TenTen groans in frustration. "Fine! The reason we want everyone to get out of here is because if Naruto-kun does get serious he has the potential to destroy everything around him! And I do mean EVERYTHING! Including this whole damn island!" TenTen yells at them causing looks of confusion from the group and a now conscious Usopp to go completely pale.

"Its fine TenTen-chan! I don't plan on actually going all out for the likes of Arlong. Or even use my Rasenshuriken cause of the massive damage it would cause the island."

The group look at the source of the voice to see Naruto smiling at them. "But...I think I will be considerate enough to go up to four tails just to show him who's boss so I want you all to stay away from this battle." Naruto tells them before turning back to Arlong who was seething mad at being underestimated.

_'Tails? What does he mean by that?'_ The group wonders as they look to TenTen to explain who was currently shaking her head at Naruto. She then notices everyone looking at her. "Oh kami! You guys want an explanation now don't you?" She asks them and everyone nods in agreement. "Ugh well I'm not telling...That story is for Naruto-kun to tell when he's ready to. But what I will say is that back home he's what you would call a Jinchuriki." Is all TenTen says before turning back to Naruto.

The blonde wearing the suit takes out another cigarette and lights it before turning to TenTen with a surprisingly serious look on his face. "A long time ago I heard that word. At the time I didn't know what it meant and the only one who said anything to me about it was Chef Zeff. He told me it was another term for a human sacrifice, but he didn't know anything too specific about it. So is that correct...TenTen-san?" Sanji asks her. Once Sanjis question reaches TenTens ears she noticeably flinches. "...Ya...that's about right. However this version is by far a worse fate...especially for a child without any parents...or even any loved ones." She slowly says as her hands tighten into fists.

Arlong lets out a roar as he races towards Naruto but when he almost reaches him he comes to an abrupt halt. He looks at the blond before him and see that a red shroud was covering his body and a strange tail-like thing was starting to form behind him. With having seen that Arlong takes a couple steps back as his face has a look of both shock and awe, with a slight hint of fear. After several moments two more tails begin to form as well as two long ear-like things on Narutos head. Naruto grins and Arlong then notices that the boys eyes turned red and his pupils have become slitted. "Well Arlong...If I recall you were making a comment on how you were a monster...but I have a true one inside me! Now I think I'll let Kurama have some fun once one more tail forms...so have fun shark." Naruto says with a grin that reveals his sharp incisors. Once he finishes saying that his skin looks to be tearing off and then lifting away from his body. Suddenly an explosion of power emanates from Narutos body causing everyone to cover their eyes and brace themselves from the coming shock wave.

Once Arlong was able to see he notices the change Narutos body underwent. He had started to look like a miniature fox with four tails and its entire form was dark red. **"Heh heh heh thanks for that Naruto. I really don't get to come out very often so this is a real treat!"** Says the four tailed version of Naruto whom adjusted his gaze so it was focused on Arlong. **"Hmm so this is the so called monster that has terrorized this portion of the ocean huh? Heh heh heh I'll crush you where you stand you pathetic excuse for a shark!"**

Once Kurama finishes speaking those works he leaps towards Arlong and grabs him by the throat as he continues to laugh. Arlong thrusts a fist forward and strikes the beast in the head but just as soon as his fist makes contact he lets out a scream of pain and retracts his hand which seemed to have been badly burned.

The Kurama controlled body leaps high into then air and then flings Arlong into the the ground and lets him go revealing a horrible burn around Arlongs neck. As Kurama was in midair his arms appear to reach to the walls on either side of Arlong park and he forces his body forward and kicks Arlong in the guy with both feet causing a large crater to form. Once Kuramas attack is finished he does a couple backflips and lands on all fours several yards away.

As Luffy and the others watch their eyes seem to bug out in disbelief at the battle before them. Usopp had taken to hide behind TenTen as he peeks around her. "AHHH! He's a demon! He's a demon in human form! Everyone run!" Usopp screams out in terror but promptly shuts his mouth as he feels killer intent coming from TenTen towards him. Nami leans over to TenTen as she shivers a little. "I-Is that really Naruto-san? Just how is he doing that? Just what is he?" She asks.

TenTen turns towards her. "That both is and isn't Naruto-kun." She says which just confuses everyone even more that before. "Does it have something to do about that Jinchuriki thing?" Zoro asks without taking his eyes off the battlefield.

"Ya...but remember that Naruto-kun is actually really kind so none of you have anything to worry about."

"Just who's Kurama-san though?" Asks Nojiko whom had chosen to come back and hide behind the wall. "And what did Naruto-san mean by he was leaving the rest to him?"

"Kurama-sama is...Naruto-kuns partner, friend and greatest ally since they have technically been together since the day of Naruto-kuns birth." TenTen tells them.

Meanwhile Kurama had been listening to their entire conversation, and chooses to have a quick chat with Naruto as he waits for the shark to pick himself up. **"Hey Naruto. Is it really ok for them to be told so much about us?"** Kurama asks.

"Hmm...It's fine. If they don't accept us for who we are then that's their problem. Beside we have friends who truly do care about us and that's what matters most." Remarks Naruto as he rests on Kuramas shoulder in their subconscious. "And before you ask...No I don't mind about what TenTen-chans told them so far since she seems to be quite careful about revealing too much. Though I do kinda wonder what Lisanna-chan thinks about all this..."

"**Heh for the most part cats can't really be trusted. They usually have hidden motives or personality quirks. Take Matatabi for example. She's usually respectful and polite towards others however deep down she is quite the lecherous and perverted cat. I've even heard that that she has occasionally taken control of past hosts and used them to fulfil her tastes so to speak."** Kurama explains to Naruto then the pair begins to chuckle and outright laugh. **"So anyways how should I finish this pathetic excuse for a shark? I don't think those kids down there would approve of me literally tearing him to pieces...and I really don't want to have to smell anything disgusting like what happened earlier..."**

"Hmm..." Naruto thinks to himself for a moment before leaping up to whisper something in Kuramas large ear. Kuramas eyes open wide as his ears perk up. **"Heh heh heh that does sound kinda mean and I approve of it...but there is a slim chance he may survive it...but sure lets go with THAT!"**

Back in the real world Arlong has just managed to pull himself out of the ground and he glares at Kurama who was now sitting several feet away from him. "I'll kill you for this you bastard!" He yells out as he steps out of the crater and looks to the side to see that the Straw Hats weren't paying him any attention which would normally piss him off but he had a wicked thought about the situation. He reaches down and lifts up a large block or concrete and hurls it at Kurama to block his vision and takes the opportunity to race over to the spectators.

By the time Arlong reaches the group they only then realize he's there and are unable to react in time to prevent him from grabbing Nami and Lisanna, and once he has the two in his grip he leaps away from the group. He grins wickedly at Kurama as he holds his two hostages in front of him. "There. Now you can't do anything or else I'll kill them both." Arlong tells Kurama before turning to Nami. "You really were an excellent navigator and chart maker, especially for a human but you've brought this upon yourself for defying me!"

Arlong then returns his gaze to Kurama who although it was kind of tough to read his expression when he's in that form, you could tell that he was seething mad. "Now you damn beast. I want you to imbed your arms and legs into the ground like Straw Hat did before, then I'll behead you and spare the lives of these women. If you don't comply then I'll execute them this very instant...so what will it be?"

TenTen looked like she was about to interfere but Kurama raised a clawed hand in her direction. **"Wait! Don't you dare interfere TenTen! Although I hate to say it...But I have no choice but to... comply..."** Kurama reluctantly says as he forces his hands and then his feet into the ground which causes a small earthquake to rock through Arlong Park. Arlong himself grins as he watches Kurama actions and he adjusts the girls so that they're being held by one arm. He reaches over and grabs what remains of his shark saw sword and starts walking over towards Kurama.

The entire time since Arlong managed to catch the women, they were constantly yelling out the same thing. "No don't do it Naruto-kun/Naruto-san! Please don't die because we got captured!"

Once Arlong was only a couple feet away from Kurama he notices that the look on the beasts face changed from one of submission to one of confidence. Just as Arlong raises his blade to behead Kurama a pair of arms suddenly burst from the ground behind the shark fishman and quickly grab both of his shoulders causing him to gasp in pain and accidentally releases Nami and Lisanna. The girls look at Kurama for a moment before he jerks his head in the direction of the others. **"NOW GO!"** Kurama orders them before he looks back at Arlong.

Nami and Lisanna grab one anothers hands and race back over to the safety of the others. "You have made me very angry fishman...so now I hope your ready to accept your punishment!" Kurama says as he once again slams Arlong into the ground but this time Kurama holds him there. Kurama raises his head into the air and opens his mouth as wide as he can and curls his four tails to aim in the direction he was looking. Small orbs of light begin to form in the air above them until a gigantic ball of black energy that was at least three times the size of Arlong Park has formed. But much to everyones surprise the ball begins to shrink until it was the size of a baseball. The orb then floats into Kuramas open mouth before he closes it causing his body to hit the ground making yet another crater.

Back on the sidelines Sanji has once again dropped his lit cigarette. "Is that orb really that heavy? If so then what is he planning to do if he can't even move?" Sanji asks himself.

"What the hell Naruto or Kurama...whichever is in control right now. Are you seriously planning on firing a bijudama right here?" TenTen calls out ecstatically as looks on in fright. Usopp slowly looks up at TenTen and was quite to see fear in her eyes. "W-W-What exactly is a Bijudama?" Asks Usopp who was once again quivering in fear.

"...Your about to find out...Now everyone take cover!" TenTen says as she grabs the previous hostages and races behind the wall where Nojiko currently was. The others decided to listen to her this time race there as well except for Sanji who chose to take a moment to destroy the concrete that Luffys feet were still embedded in before the pair join the others.

Once Kurama was sure they were all behind cover he forces himself to stand up and forms a pair of chakra arms to replace the ones that were currently holding down Arlong. He then raises Arlong onto the air and turns him around so his backside was facing Kuramas head. Arlong then looks back as he realizes what's just about to happen. "Don't you even think about it!" He threatens.

But he was promptly ignored as Kurama then opens his mouth and fires a Bijudama directly into Arlongs ass.

"Bijudama!"

The orb that was previously formed was fired and blows what was left of Arlong hundreds of miles away far faster then the eye could see. Once Kurama was sure that Arlong was gone he returns full control over to Naruto and reverts his body back as well.

Once the smoke clears the group slowly emerge from their cover to find a normal Naruto looking off into the distance where they had to guess Arlong was sent. Of the group TenTen was the first to completely leave the safety of the wall and walk over to Naruto. She then strikes him in the head...and quite hard too. "What the hell were you thinking Naruto-kun?! Why the hell would you have Kurama-sama use an attack that damn powerful? Especially when we were all still here?" She screams at Naruto who was now crouching down and holding his arms above his head to protect himself from her blows.

"Hey me and Kurama had a plan we were going to do that we thought would be funny as hell...but then he caught Lisanna-chan and Nami-san and well...we were pissed at that point." Naruto tries to explain to TenTen who refused to immediately stop hitting him.

TenTens assault only lasted another minute or so before she finally stops attacking Naruto, and at that point she backs off. "Fine...But if you ever and I mean EVER do that again...I will have to cut you in a place I'm sure you won't regenerate! Do I make myself clear?" She asks and Naruto was quite quick to nod in agreement in light of her threat.

Naruto stands up and turns to TenTen after noticing the worried looks on the others. "I'm gonna head back to the ship now...Could you and Kankuro go and interrogate that traitorous marine Nezumi for me? Between the two of you I know he will explain everything..." He asks TenTen who looks at the expressions on the others. She then nods. "Ya...will do Naruto-kun..." She tells him and Naruto then turns towards the sea and races off, and once he reaches open waters he changes direction to where the ship was docked.

Once Naruto was gone everyone else takes a look around at the damages. The entire fortress of Arlong Park had been totally annihilated by Narutos previous attack and all that was left was some rubble at the base. "Wow...the entire place is destroyed...that guys power is no joke." Zoro remarks as he looks around. Now too far away Sanji nods in agreement. "True...I just hope we don't make an enemy of him later on..."

TenTen walks over to the group and stands before them and places her hands on her hips. "Now I will take this opportunity to remind you all that Naruto-kun is actually a good person. He's not the type to attack others just for the heck of it. I'm not completely positive but...In his eyes he may even consider you guys as friends." She tells them causing Usopp to breath a sigh of relief. Nojiko then walks closer to TenTen with an uncomfortable look on her face. "Umm...TenTen-san? There's something I've been wondering about ever since just before I told Naruto-san about our situation on the island. Just before I told him he asked me and Nami a very serious question...About why the villagers were treating Nami like the had the plague, which was only so that she could leave whenever she wanted to and not have to worry about them anymore. It sounded like he experienced something like that in the past and well...I want to know."

TenTens eyes go wide as she looks on at Nojiko, then onto Nami and the rest of the group who were all eagerly waiting for her to tell them. "Ugh you guys. I thought you were all scared of Naruto-kun...and now you want to know more?" She asks and everyone nods causing her to sigh. "Well the reason he got so mad about those villagers treating Nami like she had the plague was...well back in our village... he was hated and persecuted against by practically everyone. Except in his case the villagers actually used to beat him, and some even tried to kill him...ever since the day he was born he didn't have anyone to take care of or protect him." TenTen quietly says as she looks away.

Nami, Nojiko and Lisanna all cover their mouths and gasp. Zoro and Sanji look at her in confusion, and as for Usopp...his jaw had dropped as he looked at TenTen with an astonished look on his face. Lisanna was the one to break the silence. "W-Why would they do something so horrible to Naruto-kun? What did he ever do to them?" She asks as a couple tears run down her face.

Nami moves in closer and points a finger at TenTen. "And just where were you when this was all happening? How could you let that happen to a friend?" She asks but backs off when TenTen glares at her. "I had never even met him until he was 13! The only person I can think of who may have had anything to do in protecting him was also one of the reasons he was treated so badly! That person was an elderly man who was the Third Hokage." She yells out before turning around. "If you want to know the rest then ask Naruto-kun! I'm going to find Kankuro so we can interrogate some slime ball named Nezumi like Naruto-kun asked me to!" With that being said she then vanishes in a swirl of leaves.

"Nezumi...that marine who came in and stole the ninety-three million berries I had collected? Naruto-san found out about it and is dealing with it? But why?" Nami quietly asks herself as she looks back in the direction of her home.

Luffy then steps forward and places a hand on Namis shoulder. "Well I guess the only things left are telling the villagers and then asking Naruto-san. Isn't that right Nami?" Luffy says with a big grin on his face. Nami then nods as the entire group make their way back to the village.

* * *

Just a quick note this time. As usual I reread all the reviews I've gotten so far and a recent one has caught my attention. This one was about Auroras name. I am currently trying to decide on if I should change it to Hikari or not since you did bring up a number of good points on the matter. And if I decide to it will take me a little while to go through the whole fic and change her name. But I am seriously thinking about it.


	14. Chapter 14

I've been getting a good number or reviews and am quite pleased with many of them. However a number of you are worried that Naruto will be taking on all of Luffys enemies and I can assure you that won't be the case. I just wanted Naruto to deal with select individuals when in the East Blue for certain reasons like when I had his crew face Arlong and his men was to showcase the specific abilities and fighting styles for those like Lisanna and Aurora. But as I said, after they enter the Grand Line Naruto will be going on his own path and only meet up with them once in awhile but he won't fight the major villains because they are reserved for Luffy and his crew!

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**'Demon/Summon thinking'**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

Back at the ship Naruto was laying in the crows nest with his eyes closed so he could have sometime to think. 'I wonder how they're all taking it?' He wonders as he stares off into the sky.

"**Naruto as you said before, if they can't accept you for who you are then it's their problem. I mean they're the only ones who will have to get over it, besides aren't they supposed to be pirates?"** Kurama says to him in his subconscious.

"Hmm...true. However that doesn't mean I can't hope they will be able to look past it. I mean it would be nice to make some friends out here as well." Naruto tells Kurama who nods after a moment.

Back in the real world Narutos rest was then disturbed as someone else jumps into the crows nest. Naruto opens an eye to see a dark skinned shinobi wearing the usual garb for someone from Kumogakure. "Hey Bee. What's up?"

"Not too much Naruto. How's it hangin wit you bro?" Bee asks him with his usual and unique style of talking as he holds out a fist to him.

Naruto smiles a little as he sits up and then fist pounds Bee back. "Kinda hard to say to be honest. Well to start off when you arrived, we were in the middle of dealing with these fishman pirates who had taken control of this entire island. That shark fishman was their leader."

Bee nods in understanding. "Ah so that shark-faced freak be the one you went out to seek?" Bee asks and gets another nod from Naruto. "Still looks like ya be hiding something from the Bee. Now just let it all out and let me know what you've been going on about?"

After a quick sigh Naruto then explains to Bee about everything that had happened so far on the voyage from when he left the Elemental Nations all the way up to the defeat of Arlong. He even told Bee about how he didn't know what the Straw Hats as well as Lisanna would think of him or if they'd treat him with fear.

XxX Back at Nojikos place XxX

The entire house was surrounded by Commodore Purinpurins men, and all of Nezumis men were currently tied up around the building. Purinpurin himself was standing by the door to the house to ensure that no one else could get either in or out.

Soon enough the duo of shinobi consisting of Kankuro and TenTen arrive at the building. Upon noticing their presence the marines all stood at attention. The pair come to a stop at the front door and the only one standing in their way was the Commodore. He holds out a hand motioning them to stay back. "I'm sorry but I cannot allow anyone except for Naruto-dono to see the prisoner.

Kankuro glares at the marine from under his hood. "Well Naruto asked us to come here to interrogate some bastard and that's what we're going to do...even if we have to go through you to do it." He tells the marine after he summons his two previous puppets that still had the fishmans blood on it. The sight of the bloody puppets causes the Commodore to pale a little but he refused to move. "I have my orders." Purinpurin says to Kankuro.

The partial standoff went on for several moments before the arrival of another shinobi who the Commodore had certainly met before. He glances at the newcomer and salutes her bringing a momentary look of confusion from TenTen and Kankuro. "Ah Aurora-san! Are these people with you?" He asks and waits for acknowledgement and once he receives it in the form of her nodding at him, he then turns back to the pair. "I'm deeply sorry about earlier. But as I said...I had my orders. Also Aurora-san? At the very least could you tell me what that earlier explosion was? It looked like it came from Arlong Park."

Kankuro rolls his eyes for a moment before temporarily focusing on the Commodore. "The cause of that explosion was Naruto of course. And trust me...you really don't want to know what he did back there." Kankuro tells him before he reaches for the doorknob. Purinpurin and the marines eyes open wide as they try to comprehend just what that might mean. He does his best to shake it off for the time being to focus on whats at hand.

Moments later Kankuro opens the door and the three shinobi as well as Purinpurin enter. Once they enter they notice a marine tied to a chair sitting in the middle of the living room. The first thing they notice about him are the unusual whiskers on his face. The marine looks up at the people who just entered the room. "What's the meaning of this? You people don't have the right to treat me like this!" He manages to spit out before glaring at them. TenTen grabs another chair and sets it across the room but so it was still facing him, and she then sits down on it and then proceeds to summon up and then start sharpening her kunai in such a way that Nezumi had a clear view of her doing it. Kankuro on the other hand manipulates his puppets so that Crow was directly behind Nezumi and it's bladed arm were gently draped over his right shoulder so its hand was set just on his leg. Once Nezumi notices the fresh blood that was still on the blades he begins to stutter before he looks over to the Commodore.

"W-Why are you doing this? We're supposed to be on the same side!" He asks with the fear in his voice soon becoming far more noticeable. Purinpurin merely stands by the door and moves his hands behind his back. "You should know very well why this is being done Nezumi. This will be a lot easier if you just admit to what you've done. If not then well...I have my orders to leave you to these three to do with you as they wish." Purinpurin explains to him which causes the imprisoned marine to turn pale as he looks from TenTen who was still sharpening her knives, to Kankuro and his puppet whos arms was still draped over his shoulder, then finally to Aurora who still had her mask on and was looking at him while she twirled a pair of senbon needles in her hands. Once Nezumi got a good look at the trio he begins to break out in a cold sweat. "J-Just who are they? T-T-They don't look like any marines I've e-ever s-seen." He asks with obvious fear in his eyes.

Commodore Purinpurin smiles as he walks over to Nezumi and stops just in front of him. He then leans over so his face was just a foot away from Nezumi. "These people just so happen to be actual shinobi from the Elemental Nations. And from the stories I've heard...they are quite skilled in interrogation...as well as torture...so spill it...or they may spill more than just your secrets!" Purinpurin says before standing up straight and walking back to the door. Once reaching the door he turns his head to the side slightly. "Three...two...one..." He begins to count down making Nazumi panic. "Alright I'll tell you everything! Just please don't leave me with them..." Nezumi cries out as he begins to sob.

"...zero...Well I guess he's made his choice...Try to not be too rough with him. I'll be back in lets say...one hour...no actually lets make that two hours." Purinpurin says before opening the door and walking out. "WHAT? NO! I SAID I'D SPEAK! PLEASE HAVE MERCY! DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THEM!" Nezumi screams out as the door closes and leaves him alone with the three shinobi. Kankuro grins at him maliciously. "Well you heard the Commodore. And you did bring this on yourself by not cooperating when you had the chance..." Kankuro tells him before Nezumis screams could then be heard from across the entire island.

XxX Back in Cocoyashi Village XxX

Luffys group as well as Nojiko and Lisanna just arrive at the town and inform the villagers that Arlong was no more. Suffice to say the entire village was ecstatic and many of them ran off to inform the other villages on the island of the wonderful thing that happened. A couple of the villagers however went up to the group to ask where their new hero was.

"So where is Naruto-san now? I know everyone wants to thank him properly for what he's done for us all." Genzo asks Nami. She just shrugs. "I'm not really sure where he is right now...All I know is that he went back to his ship once the battle was over." Nami sadly explains which disappoints the remaining villagers who still had many things to say to him.

Just as someone else was about to ask Nami another question a horrible ear-splitting scream rang out causing some people to cringe in fear before they look around for the source. "Just what on earth was that?" One of them asks.

Lisanna shakes her head for a moment before turning towards Nojikos place. "I can only assume that's the marine Nezumi...TenTen-chan and Kankuro-san must have arrived and already started to interrogate him...although it sounds a lot more like torture..." She explains as she raises both hands to cover her ears.

Genzo looks at her in surprise. "Wait you mean Nezumi? The same Nezumi that shot Nojiko earlier and stole all of Namis money? That Nezumi?" He asks and Lisanna looks up at him before nodding. Another villager walks up to the group. "Hey Nojiko. That swordswoman from before has heading to your place a short while ago. I wonder if she has something to do with that noise." The villager tells them which causes the group to sweat drop for a moment. Usopp looks into the distance in the direction of Nojikos house and says the very thing that was on everyones minds. "Kami I'm sure glad she's on our side and not an enemy..." He says and everyone unanimously nods in agreement.

In due time most of the villagers started setting up drink and food stands throughout the village as well as decorations for the party they were about to have in celebration of the end of their oppression. But before the group was pulled into the festivities Nami and Nojiko let the group a short ways out of the village so they could all have a talk. Nami turns to the others. "Well since we've told the villagers, I think it's time we go and ask Naruto to tell us his story...Just as long as he's fine with it." She tells them which they all quickly agree to. "Then that's settled...now can you show us the way to his ship Lisanna-san?" Nami asks her.

"I don't mind but...Somehow I get the feeling that he may want to be alone...if that's the case we have to leave right away so we don't bother-" Lisanna begins to say before she stops speaking and starts sniffing the air since she's still in her hybrid form. Nojiko looks at Lisanna in confusion. "Is something the matter Lisanna-san?"

Lisanna suddenly readjusts her gaze to a nearby tree and everyone then follows her gaze to see two people resting on its branches. "That be enough of an answer for ya Naruto? It would seem like you didn't need to worry, since they would appear to be heading to see ya and chat an have some curry." Mentions the older dark skinned man who was quite muscular.

"Looks like your right Bee. Also whats up with the curry comment? They didn't say anything about that." Says the other one wearing dark clothes and a familiar orange overcoat with a black flame design.

"Don't be hatin on my rhymes. Gems aren't always span out in time. Fool ya fool!"

Sanji looks up the tree in confusion. "What the hell? That voice sounds oddly familiar but there's no way something that massive could be up a tree." He states before spinning around and landing a kick on the tree trunk. The entire tree begins to shake before the dark skinned one lands safely on the ground and the other leaps onto a lower branch.

While the others were looking at the dark skinned man wondering who he was, Zoro on the other hand noticed the swords on the guys back as well as an oversized one covered in bandages. "That's a strange looking blade." He comments bringing the others to finally notice the giant weapon on his back.

Just before anyone can ask or even say anything Naruto holds his hand in front of him and raises a single finger. "Ok before you guys say anything, I will only be willing answer a single question anytime we meet up from this point onwards. It doesn't matter what the question is but one one question per meeting so better think wisely." Naruto tells them with a slight grin.

"Who's tha-" Luffy begins to ask but Nami and the others quickly cover his mouth so he doesn't say or in this case ask anything unnecessary.

"What was that Luffy-san? It almost sounded like you were asking who my companion is. That right...Luffy-san?" Naruto smiles as he asks this and watching the others reaction.

"No no no! Luffy doesn't know what he's saying Naruto-san! Pay him no mind." Nami tells him as she waves her hands wildly.

Naruto and Bee turn to one another and laugh and they go on for a few minutes before they finally calm down.

Sanji and the others take a breath and their grip on Luffys mouth weakens. "Who's the dark guy with the weird sword?" Luffy quickly asks before anyone can stop him. "AHH LUFFY YOU IDIOT!" They all scream out.

Naruto shrugs his shoulders and motions for Bee to take the stage so to speak. "Well that certainly sounds like a valid question."

Killer Bee smiles as he leaps into the air and does a few flips before landing on a large rock not too far away and faces them with his hands raised at his sides.

"Yo! Say! Ho!

You know my name, you know my fame, don't be lame!  
Eight Tails, thats me, da rappin, Killer Bee  
A Tailed Beast resides, inside my hide!  
Makin' beats and rhymes and I'm makin' 'em live  
Its what a Jinchuriki needs to survive  
Battle and battle up here in the Bee Hive!"

"Wait what the hell? You mean your another of those Jinchuriki things as well?" Sanji spits out before Bee can continue his rapping which does annoy the dark skinned shinobi. "Also why does your name sound familiar?"

As the group takes a moment to try and figure that out Usopp on the other hand falls back flat on his ass and points at Bee. "Bee? As in that giant octopus monster from earlier! That Killer Bee?" He almost screams out as the others recall the giant Octopus/Ox hybrid creature that showed up during the fighting in Arlong Park.

"Ya this is that very Bee..." Naruto says before getting up. "Well now that the single question has been answered we better be off. I still have to finish dealing with Nezumi before we leave tomorrow morning." With that being said Naruto begins to walk off towards the village with a slightly annoyed Bee walking not too far behind him. "Damn fools be messing with my rhymes. As well as bustin in on my times. Damn fools ya fool." Bee mutters to himself.

Once Naruto and Bee have left Lisanna places a hand on her head. "Geeze. I thought for sure Naruto-kun would've told us more that this..." She says as she starts to shake her head. Nami and Nojiko both nod in agreement. "I doubt he'll tell us anything more until we see him again somewhere else since he seems to be stubborn at times." Nami says to herself in an exasperated tone.

"This is probably not going to end well for us pirates..." Zoro says as he looks off into the distance.

"Huh? What do you mean Zoro-san? I'm sure Naruto-kun considers all of you as friends even though you haven't known him that long...so what's there to be worried about?" Lisanna asks Zoro curiously.

With a small sigh Zoro turns back to the group. "I do understand that. However if Naruto-sans nation does become allied with the World Government...then chances are they will convince that nation of shinobi to go out to sea to help exterminate all the pirates. And if they're all as strong as Naruto-san then...that may mean the end to the pirate era as well as all us pirates..." Zoro explains to them as they all go wide-eyed at the thought.

XxX

It doesn't take long for Naruto and Bee to arrive at Nojikos place. As the pair approach the house every single marine in sight immediately stands at attention and salutes them however once Naruto got closer he noticed that they practically refused to look him in the eye and most of them even appeared to be slightly quivering.

"Is something the matter?" Naruto asks them and the marines some how manage to stand up straighter. "No Naruto-dono SIR!" The closest marine manages to say before looking away. With a sigh Naruto gently places a hand on the marines shoulder much to the horror of said marine as well as those close to him. "I assume you heard about my fight with Arlong. Is that right?" He asks and the marine in contact with him quickly nods several times. "I hope you know that whatever happened to him was because of the horrible crimes he committed on this island. So you guys have nothing to worry about whatsoever." Naruto reassures him as he gently pats him on the shoulder and gives him a big friendly grin before once again making his way to the house. Once Naruto had finished with that marine all the others seemed to relax a bit but still seemed cautious of him. Upon getting to the door Naruto slowly opens it and the pair walk straight in.

"Have you guys managed to break him yet?" Naruto asks out loud just as he enters the house to find the shinobi trio sitting down not too far away from a man tightly tied to a chair. Purinpurin salutes him as soon as he recognizes him. "Hello Naruto-dono. I have to say that your crews methods of persuasion as quite uh...effective to say the least. The prisoner Nezumi confessed to all the heinous acts he's done both here and in the surrounding area."

Naruto gives a small uncomfortable chuckle. "Ya I can believe that. So what's going to happen to that bastard now?" He asks the Commodore.

"Well in short he will be immediately sent to the underwater prison Impel Down and be imprisoned for his crimes." Purinpurin says to Naruto who nods before walking closer to the bastard that allowed so much pain and chaos to befall the island. Upon closer inspection Nezumi had a number of senbon needles pierced into him on various points of his body and from what Naruto could tell, they were either pierced directly onto or right beside his nerves so even a simple movement could cause intense pain. In addition Nezumi also had long bloody gashes along his arms as well as on his legs which could be noticed from the tears in his pants. Normally Naruto would be disgusted at the sight of this however in this case he could certainly tolerate it.

Once Naruto was satisfied with Nezumis condition he walks away from him and informs his fellow shinobi that they're going to be leaving early in the morning so they can do whatever they want until then. Just before he leaves he walks back over to the Commodore. "Thanks Purinpurin-san for catching him and holding him here. Also I noticed his ship was docked not too far away from here surprisingly so once you guys are ready to leave how about you just take his ship?"

There was a short silence before the commodore sighs for a moment. "Uzumaki-sama. If you recall I do still have orders to escort you to Loguetown and you seem to prefer if we don't. But how about this then? Would you permit us to escort you most of the way, at least until the island is in sight then we can leave and proceed with transferring Nezumi to Impel Down?" Purinpurin asks as he stands up straight in front of Naruto with a serious look on his face. The pair stare at one another for several moments before Naruto starts scratching the back of his head. "Fine but only until the islands in sight. We plan to leave in early tomorrow morning but I'll send someone over just before we leave." Naruto tells him which seems to make the Commodore happy. Naruto then leaves the house and takes off to do his own thing and the rest of the shinobi leave momentarily afterwards.

After they leave Purinpurin asks the marines outside to remove the needles and dress the wounds as well as to set up a transponder snail so he could make an important call.

The marines finish all of their tasks fairly quickly and Purinpurin picks up the receiver and dials a certain number. After the call was transferred to it's intended person the Commodore takes a deep breath and prepares to speak to and give a report to non other than Fleet Admiral Sengoku.


	15. Chapter 15

"Speaking"

___'Thinking'_

******"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**__****'Demon/Summon thinking'**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

Not long after Naruto leaves along with the rest of his crew Commodore Purinpurin asks the marines whom were stationed outside the house to accomplish a few quick tasks as well as to set up a transponder snail so he could make an important call. After a few minutes the call finally goes through and he hears the voice of the Fleet Admiral. "Hello Commodore Purinpurin. Have you managed to accomplish the task I assigned for you?" Sengoku asks.

Purinpurin takes a deep breath before he replies. "Well sir about that...I have both good news as well as bad news. Which would you prefer to hear first?"

After a moment Purinpurin can hear Sengoku grumbling on the other end followed by a sigh. "Might as well start with the bad news Purinpurin." Sengoku tells him. "Well first off while we were making our way to locate and escort Uzumaki-dono to Loguetown as were your orders, we got a distress call from Gosa Village on Conomi Island. Apparently the entire Island had been taken over by the fishman Arlong and his crew. Since it was on the way we felt it was our duty to protect the remaining citizens but unfortunately as we got closer to the Island Arlong had a few of his men attack and sink our ship..." Purinpurin explains and only telling Sengoku a portion of what really happened.

"...Your ship sank...so your telling me that you not only chose to abandon your appointed duty but you also managed to royally screw up!"

"Please calm yourself Fleet Admiral sir. There is still the good news. Luckily for us Uzumaki-dono and his crew had chosen to dock their ship here on this Island and I managed to make him agree to us escorting him to Loguetown. However there is something that is quite troubling about him and his crew that I feel I must inform you of..."

"...Troubling? Please explain yourself." Sengoku asks his with a now much calmer tone of voice which Purinpurin was thankful for.

"Yes sir. Well first off, just as the whirlpool had formed and was about to suck the ship and us under, apparently Uzumaki-dono had arrived on board...however one of the two major weird things were that happened then and there was that as soon as he boarded he made a strange sign with his hands and suddenly more than fifty copies of him appeared at various stops on the ship. At the time I was unconscious so I can't completely vouch for what my crew told me but the copies actually seemed to be solid and each copy of him grabbed a couple of the crew and brought them back to shore...the second weird thing that I know is that he and most of his crew seem to be able to walk on the waters surface..." Purinpurin attempts to explain and is honestly quite shocked when Sengoku doesn't react with the disbelief he expected.

Purinpurin overhears Sengoku sigh as well as the sound of shuffling papers followed by the scratching of him writing this all down. "I see...Aokiji and Akainu mentioned something to me that the people of that nation called themselves shinobi but I didn't want to believe it. However while they were there they found themselves literally in a position where they couldn't physically move. Neither of them could explain it. Have your men been in a similar situation? Or in any other weird circumstances?"

"Not quite sir. Although other than being able to walk on water these shinobi also seem to be capable of jumping quite high into the air and well...according to the marine I sent to keep en eye on Arlong Park, he did happen to witness their fighting skills. According to him Uzumaki-dono has a crew of five people at the moment. Other than Uzumaki-dono three of them may also be shinobi but one appears to just be a regular young woman with Devil Fruit abilities. He managed to witness them fighting against Arlongs crew and they each managed to easily beat their opponents. Although he only witnessed four of them actually fighting, but sadly the marine I just mentioned was somehow rendered unconscious halfway through Uzumaki-donos fight so I have no further information on his abilities. I will be submitting a full report as soon as we depart." Purinpurin explains and a troubled look appears on his face as he tries to decide the best way to describe what happened next. "There are two final points I have to make before I finish my report. The first is that at the time the marine was rendered unconcious there was a large explosion coming from Arlong Park and we from another point on the island were able to see a large black ball shoot from there and flew off into the distance at top speed. Finally...well this part is honestly quite disturbing but apparently Uzumaki-dono is able to both talk to and control what looked to be a sea king..."

Clear on the other side of the world at Marine Headquarters Sengoku had been calmly writing down everything Commodore Purinpurin was reporting but one he mentioned the sea king Sengoku stops writing and freezes. After a couple minutes of silence he finally responds. "A Sea King? He has the skill to control THEM! Seriously WHAT THE HELL!" Sengoku yells out causing a couple of the marines posted outside his door to storm in expecting something to be wrong. He glares at them and the marines slowly back out of his office and quietly close the door. Sengoku raises a hand to his forehead and gently rubs his temple in an attempt to calm down and think. "Commodore Purinpurin. I'm going to be sending a message to Loguetown immediately to inform Captain Smoker of this. Sadly I can't have just anyone keeping an eye on Uzumaki-sans group. And being a Logia type he should stand a better chance than most if he has to defend himself. One way or another we must have that country join us! Now...this is what I want you to do..."

XxX

Throughout the entire night all of the residents of Conomi Island were partying to celebrate their new-found freedom now that they were no longer under Arlongs rule. But the villagers weren't the only ones enjoying themselves. Luffy had taken the opportunity to gorge himself with all the food he could stomach. Zoro was walking around the village drinking as he looked for that dark skinned guy from earlier so he could question him about the strange blades he held. Sanji on the other hand was flirting with practically every woman he could find but was still keeping an eye out for those female shinobi since he wanted to know more...that and there was just something about them that caught his particular interest. Nami was spending her time with the residence of Cocoyashi who were both apologizing for their actions toward her as well as their heartfelt thanks for her years of sacrifice on their behalf. Of the remaining Straw Hat pirates there was one who had suddenly disappeared from his position on top of several stacked up tables while he was singing still early in the evening.

XxX Somewhere in the woods XxX

"Hey what's the matter with you! Unhand me whoever you are!" Usopp screams out at his unknown kidnapper who had tied him up and had him drapped over their shoulder. "You probably don't know who your messing with but I'm the great Captain Usopp and I have eight thousand followers who will take you down if you don't release me!"

The kidnapper just remains silent for awhile before removing him from his position on their shoulder and then proceed with throwing him onto the ground a short distance away. She struggles to turn around and he finally gets a look at his kidnapper. "YOU?! But why are you doing this to me? Tell me why TenTen-san!" He asks as he stares up at her.

The brown haired kunoichi walks over to a nearby tree across from Usopp and leans against it. She just remains silent as he looks off into the sky. After a couple minutes of silence TenTen finally speaks up. "Your a coward...you do know that right?" She says to him as he gaze slowly drifts down to him.

Usopp glares at her for a moment before he looks away. "So what? Just because I'm not as strong as Luffy-san, Zoro-san or even Sanji-san doesn't mean I can't fight! When it comes to sharpshooting I can't be beat!" He states as he tries to let at least one of his few positive traits be known. Upon hearing this TenTen smiles a little at him. "Who cares if your not physically strong. Look at Lisanna-chan! You do remember what she said in her fight right? It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't hit your opponent right? You do remember that right?" She asks him and he reluctantly nods.

"Then think about it. She used her head in that battle and took full advantage of her superior speed as well as her reflexes to come out on top...I know you could do the same if you only had more confidence on yourself and your own abilities." TenTen explains to him which causes Usopps eyes to widen as he started to think about it. "Use tactics instead of strength. Focus on outsmarting your opponent with deception to confuse them further. Never fight on your opponents terms since it will only be beneficial to them. Instead try to manipulate them to fight on YOUR terms, that way you will be the one with the advantage." With every word TenTen speaks to him, Usopp was continually nodding as he carefully considered everything she told him. Her explination goes on for about another hour or so.

"Hmm...so I can also use my lying to help my crewmates as well as myself in battle. That and in battle I have to try and keep a clear head." Usopp says to himself as he begins to think about different tactics he can use in battle that'll be to his advantage. TenTen nods at him with a smile on her face. "Ya that's right Usopp-san. However when it comes to the lying part...try to keep it more believable. I mean not every enemy you face will be as dimwitted at Luffy-san is. So no more of this I have eight thousand followers shit!" She tells him and a look of horror crosses his face as he hears the last part. "B-But..."

She quickly holds up her hand in protest. "There will be no buts about it! If you plan to use deceit and lies in battle then they have to be on the more believable side." She insists and eventually Usopp nods. TenTen then gets up and walks over to Usopp and unties the ropes to release him. Once he stands up he looks at her curiously. "If you don't mind me asking...Just why are you helping me like this? Obviously I don't mean you untying me, but about everything else." He asks.

TenTen looks up for a moment as she scratches the back of her head. "If I had to come up with a reason I'd say it's because I know Naruto-kun would want me to help others out whenever I could." She explains before turning around and begins walking back to the town. "We probably won't see you guys for some time after we leave. But when we do you better have gotten better cause I don't want this to have been a waste of time...Later." With that said she vanishes in a whirl of leaves leaving Usopp alone in the forest.

XxX Back in Cocoyashi XxX

It was nearly morning and almost everyone had fallen asleep from their partying the night before, except for a few who had managed to stay awake. Two of which were wandering around looking for someone. "Nami we've been looking most of the night and we still haven't seen any sign of Naruto-san yet. Just where the heck is he?" Nojiko sadly says to her orange haired sister.

"Ugh just where did he go!" Nami screams out in frustration as she continues looking around before she notices someone she hadn't seen before on the island and yet looked somewhat familiar. She and Nojiko start walking over to the person who had moved over to a table still covered in food.

Once the pair get closer they finally get a good look at the individual. The person looked to be a young woman in her early twenties, she had long blond hair that was tied into twin ponytails, familiar blue eyes, unique whisker marks on her cheeks and was wearing a orange short-sleeved shirt and black pants. Nami looks at the young woman with a confused look before turning her gaze to Nojiko. "Hey Nojiko? Have you ever seen her before?" Nami asks as she points to the young blonde woman. "No I haven't. Umm...just who are you miss?" Nojiko asks the women.

"Huh? What are you talking about Nami-san. Nojiko-san?" The woman asks them causing the pair to look at her in utter confusion. "Uh...have we met before? For some strange reason you look really familiar." Nami asks her.

The blonde looks at them with her head tilted to the side in confusion for a moment before she starts waving her hands in front of her. "N-No we haven't met before! I only knew your names because...ah because...Well Nami-san seems to be the talk of the island lately...ya that's it!" She then chuckles a little nervously as she starts to back off. Neither Nami nor Nojiko were buying it and they both crossed their arms as they stared at the young woman. "Well um...Bye!" The young woman says before she backs into and alley and temporarily out of sight.

The sisters quickly close in on the alley and discover that it's now deserted. "Hey where did she go?" Nami questions Nojiko who just shrugs. "No idea Nami. But man did she look familiar for some reason."

The pair turn around and start walking back towards their house in the tangerine grove. "So anyways Nojiko, what do you plan on doing now?" Nami asks her sister in an attempt to change the subject from the mysterious girl. Nojiko shrugs before brushing her hair back with one hand as she stares off into the distance. "Not too sure Nami, I mean I was thinking about leaving the island to be honest..."

"Huh? Seriously? Where do you plan on going...or should I say who do you plan on going with?" Nami asks before she nudges Nojiko who lightly blushes for a moment before turning away. "I...er...ah..." Nojiko starts stuttering.

Meanwhile on a nearby roof the blonde girl from earlier was sitting down with her legs draped over the edge watching the sisters as they walk. "Something wrong Lisanna-chan?" She asks the black haired woman who was currently trying to sneak up on her. "Uh...I guess I'm not very stealthy...Naruto-kun."

"Huh? Well I guess I should be asking just how you knew it was me?" The blonde girl asks as she makes a quick handsign and is surrounded in smoke and once it disappates the male Naruto was in her place. Lisanna sits down beside him. "It's your scent Naruto-kun...don't forget I have a animals sense on smell...although I am kinda curious as to how and why you were a girl." She tells him as her gaze drifts down to Nami who now had her sister in a headlock and was teasing her.

"Heh heh it's just a simple Ninjutsu. The art of transformation allows a ninja to temporarily take another form to disguise oneself...and before you ask yes they do feel real." Naruto tells her and laughs a little at his last comment. Lisannas face turns red once she heard the last part but soon ends up joining him in laughter. Naruto then leans back onto the roof and looks at the sky overhead. "Man it's been so very long pervy sage...You used to love this jutsu...and in the beginning using it was the only way you'd ever teach me anything..." Naruto says to himself as he thinks back to the days when Jiraiya was still alive.

Lisanna looks at Naruto curiously but remains quiet and allows him to be lost in his memories for the time being. Soon Naruto angles his head to look at Lisanna. "Something else on your mind?" He asks.

She shakes her head for a moment. "No not really Naruto-kun. I just didn't want to disturb you when you were thinking about your godfather...He must have been really important to you."

Naruto places his hands behind his head before looking up again. "Ya he sure was. I mean ya he was a perverted old man but still...he taught me many important things and even more unimportant things that I won't ever forget. I was happy being his disciple. But like my friend Shikamaru once told me when I was upset over my masters death. Its time for us to step up and switch from being the imparted to being the imparter. Eventually him and me would be the ones paying for our students and being called sensei. We can't stay snot-nosed brats forever...especially if we want to become ultra cool shinobi like Jiraiya and Asuma...Asuma was Shikamarus sensei, and like mine his died in battle." Naruto tells her as he continues looking up and he can almost see the faint outline of Jiraiya looking down at him with a smile on his face.

"The way you talk about the old days makes you sound a bit like an old man Naruto-kun." Lisanna playfully tells him as she gets up and grins down at him. "Huh?" Naruto looks at her in slight confusion and then she places a finger just below one eye and proceeds to stick her tongue out at him. Naruto grins as he flips himself up so he's standing upright. "I'm not an old man! I'm only twenty-one I'll have you know!" He calls out and attempts to grab her but since she knew he would she was able to move back just enough so he can't reach her. Lisanna then back-flips onto a nearby roof. "Well you seem to act like an old man since you can't catch a youngster like me!" She teases him before she races back towards the ship. Naruto shakes his head at her acting all playful. _'If she only knew just how fast I really was...however I think I'll save that little surprise for another time.'_ He thinks to himself as he pools chakra into the soles of his feet before he rockets after her.

"Glad to see he's back to normal...or at least as normal as Naruto-kun can be." TenTen says to herself as she watches Naruto race across the rooftops after Lisanna. _'Although the anniversary of the end of the Fourth Shinobi War is coming up soon...I wonder what he's going to do about it this year?'_ She thinks to herself before she notices Nojiko walking over to the building TenTen was resting on.

TenTen jumps down and lands in front of Nojiko. "There something I can help you with Nojiko-san?"

Nojiko nods. "Ya there is...Well I was kinda wondering about something...Well..."

XxX

A few hours go by and it was time for Narutos group to depart and he insisted that the villagers weren't told when they were leaving since they did what had to be done and didn't expect any thanks for it. But just as Narutos and the marine ships set sail and were a short distance from the island, a loud cheer rang out. Naruto and company look back to see the people from the various villages on the island at the shoreline waving them off. Even Luffy and company were there.

Naruto shakes his head as a small smiles crosses his face and he waves to the villagers on the island for a moment before he turns to the blue haired newcomer. "So you decided to join us huh Nojiko-san?"

"Ya. I didn't want Nami to be the only one of us to go on an adventure. And the way I see it being around you guys won't be boring." Nojiko tells him as she smiles a little. Naruto nods in acceptance to her answer. "Fair enough. But we'll have to figure out where you'd be best suited to be on this ship." He comments and the others nod.

TenTen waves to the rest of the group. "Seeing as I'm not needed here at the moment I'm heading down to my quarters to change and sharpen some of my kunai and other weapons." She tells the group before she enters the ship leaving the rest of the group on the deck.

After a few minutes of quick conversation regarding what Nojiko was best suited for a loud noise gets everyones attention. "AHHH WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" TenTen screams out from below deck making everyone else wonder whats going on.

* * *

Just so you all know I plan on taking a short break from writing this fic to write a few chapters of my other ones. However that shouldn't take too long. Also If I have time I may come back to fix up some parts of this chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Ok first off I'm sorry about how long it took to get around to doing this chapter. Its been hectic the past month between work and preparing for two different conventions which take place only two weeks from one another. As well as making sure my cosplay was done in time. In addition to that my laptop just had to fail making me unable to do any writing for the time. But at least now I'm able to continue writing since I just got it back. Now since you've all been waiting quite patiently I decided to make this chapter a bit longer than most so I hope you all enjoy it!

"Speaking"

___'Thinking'_

******"Demon/Summon speaking"**

**__****'Demon/Summon thinking'**

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

A few hours go by and it was time for Narutos group to depart and he insisted that the villagers weren't told when they were leaving since they did what had to be done and didn't expect any thanks for it. But just as Narutos and the marine ships set sail and were a short distance from the island, a loud cheer rang out. Naruto and company look back to see the people from the various villages on the island at the shoreline waving them off. Even Luffy and company were there.

Naruto shakes his head as a small smiles crosses his face and he waves to the villagers on the island for a moment before he turns to the blue haired newcomer. "So you decided to join us huh Nojiko-san?"

"Ya. I didn't want Nami to be the only one of us to go on an adventure. And the way I see it being around you guys won't be boring." Nojiko tells him as she smiles a little. Naruto nods in acceptance to her answer. "Fair enough. But we'll have to figure out where you'd be best suited to be on this ship." He comments and the others nod.

TenTen waves to the rest of the group. "Seeing as I'm not needed here at the moment I'm heading down to my quarters to change and sharpen some of my kunai and other weapons." She tells the group before she enters the ship leaving the rest of the group on the deck.

After a few minutes of quick conversation regarding what Nojiko was best suited for a loud noise gets everyones attention. "AHHH WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" TenTen screams out from below deck making everyone else wonder whats going on.

"Huh? What was that all about?" The blue haired Nojiko asks as her eyes drift over to the door that leads into the heart of the ship. Kankuro shrugs for a moment before walking over to the helm. "Whatever the problem is I'm sure she can handle it."

Naruto looks at the door curiously for a moment before letting out a short sigh. _'I have a bad feeling about this...'_ He thinks to himself before he starts making his way through the door towards the source of the scream. Curiosity seemed to be somewhat infectious since both Nojiko and the long haired brunette seemed to have caught it since they both decided to follow him in an effort to discover what attracted their attention.

Soon enough the trio consisting of the blonde Naruto, the Bluenette Nojiko and the Brunette Lisanna reach the door that separated them from TenTens room. Naruto reaches a hand out and firmly grasps the doorknob but just as he begins to turn it they could now clearly hear the sounds of objects flying through the air before they impale themselves within the wooden walls. In addition they could hear the furious screams of anger coming from TenTen in waves. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN HERE YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" as well as "YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL I CATCH YOU! I'LL MAKE A RUG OUTTA YOUR HIDE!" were some of the less colourful sentences Naruto could make out.

At this point Naruto was hesitant about opening the door on account that TenTens wrath would more than likely spill out and make him an inevitable target. The newest member of his crew was wondering just how a man who would stand up to the most dangerous pirate in the entire East Blue as well as two sea monsters now appeared to be afraid of what may lay behind this frail door. "Uh...Naruto-san? Aren't you going to open the door so see what's the matter with TenTen-san?" She asks with a inquisitive look on her face.

"Well I admit that we should check up on her however...I get the feeling it may not end too well."

Both ladies look at Naruto in apparent confusion. Narutos blue eyes gaze at the two women looking first at him then at the closed door. Naruto lets out a small sigh before he begins to turn the doorknob and then quickly opens the door.

Now at this time Naruto expected any number of things to happen once the door was opened. Things such as sharp objects being flung in his direction which would lead to Naruto having to quickly dodge but still ensure that both Lisanna and Nojiko would remain safe. TenTen could very well be reenacting a favourite scene from a book for one reason or another and wasn't aware that anyone had overheard her. Hell someone could've snuck onto the ship while it was docked and made the unfortunate choice of choosing her room to hide in. However although he would've been prepared for any of those scenarios, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw once the door opened.

Once the door open Narutos as well as the jaws of the two women accompanying him dropped as they took in the sight before them. What the trio saw once the door was open causes the three of them to turn a deep crimson and in Narutos case, a nosebleed. They watched TenTen whom was only wearing a blue pair of panties and was currently racing around the bedroom throwing kunai at random intervals as she chased what looked to be a silver blur. With slow and careful movements Naruto walked into the doorway and at that very moment the silver blur that had until that very moment been racing around the room has now made an abrupt directional change and was now shooting towards the blonde shinobi.

As the blur approaches Naruto it leaps into the air but towards the dresser located to the left of the door and lands on an open drawer, however it remained on the drawer only long enough for it to turn to it's right slightly and leap at Naruto. Now since this was an unexpected situation that Naruto certainly wasn't expecting so his mind hadn't quite caught up so he was unable to react to what happened next. As the silver blur approached, time almost seemed to slow down as the form makes contact with Narutos face causing him to fall backwards and once he had fallen back far enough the blur leaps to it's next target which happened to be Lisanna.

The brunette Zoan user lets out a small scream of surprise and clenches her eyes shut as the blur makes contact with her chest causing her to fall back onto Nojiko who was currently standing behind her. Soon after the pair make contact with the ground Lisanna lets out a low moan but at the moment is unsure as to why she did. Lisanna suddenly freezes as she can now feel something making rubbing motions over her breasts. Without wasting another moment she lashes out and slaps whatever it was that is currently in front of her causing it to bash against the wall with a loud thud. "YOU PERVERT! WHEN I GET ME HANDS ON Y-" She begins to say as her eyes snap open and scan the immediate vicinity for the one who had been recently pawing at her breasts only to find a silver unconscious fox laying on it's back a short ways away with a large lump on its head and a pair of orange panties in it's mouth. _'A fox? Just what is a fox doing here? And whats with the panties in it's mouth? '_ She thinks to herself.

As those thoughts run through Lisannas mind a very angry TenTen bursts out of the room with kunai and shuriken in hand fully prepared to strike at the intruder. She violently twists her head from side to side as she looks for the culprit and just as she notices it's unconscious form a short ways from Lisanna and Nojiko. Just as she pulls her hands back in preparation of finishing off the beast she hears a pained moan as well as a small gasp of surprise.

"Umm...TenTen-chan? You do know your standing on Naruto-kun...right?" Lisanna asks as she points to the unmoving form of Naruto that TenTen was unknowingly standing on.

"Huh?" TenTen raises an eyebrow in confusion for a moment before turning her gaze downward and only then does she notice that she's standing on top of him with one foot on his chest and her other foot was position further down his body and directly between his legs. She utters a quick cry of surprise before immediately hopping off him and landing beside him. Wasting no time she places an arm under him in an attempt to raise his upper body. "Oh kami I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" She asks as she lightly shakes him as she tries to wake him up completely forgetting all about the fox.

TenTen continues to furiously shake Naruto until he manages to open his eyes. Feeling ecstatic that Naruto was alright TenTen grabs his head and presses his head against her chest without even thinking about it. "I'm glad your alright now Naruto-kun!" She squeals in happiness for a moment before looking up.

She looks towards Lisanna and Nojiko and notices that their faces have both gone a dark red and what looked like steam was rising from the cat-girl. "Huh? Are you guys ok? I hope your not sick." TenTen asks with a worried look on her face.

"Ugh...what's going on...What's this soft feeling?" Naruto groggily asks himself. With slow careful movements Nojiko raises a hand and points at Naruto who now seemed to be struggling a bit. "Uh... TenTen-chan. The question is just what are YOU doing? In case you forgot, your still practically NAKED!" Nojiko exclaims while still blushing furiously.

Upon hearing those words TenTen was suddenly very aware of her surroundings. She slowly turns her gaze downward to see Naruto was still right where she left him...still planted firmly between her exposed bosom. As the realization slowly dawns on her, her face slowly turns several shades of red before settling on a deep crimson. With careful movements TenTen slowly raises a hand into the air and tightens it into a fist which she immediately uses to strike Naruto in the head hard enough to once again render him unconscious. TenTen then jumps to her feet once more before racing back to her room pausing only long enough to cover her exposed breasts.

As TenTen slams the door loudly behind her leaving Lisanna and Nojiko to care for the once again unconscious Naruto and the now forgotten cause of the ruckus, the silver fox. This time however, much to the relief of Lisanna and Nojiko, Naruto resumes consciousness much quicker. "Ugh...my head. Just what the heck hap-" Naruto starts to say before cutting himself off as his face turns a light shade of red as he starts to remember every little detail. He looks towards the pair of girls who were both a darker shade of crimson. "Umm...did she just?" He asks and gets an awkward nod from the pair. "So I was?" *nods* "Huh...Well seeing as I'm not needed at the moment, I think I'm going to go back to my room for a bit..." Naruto says as he forces himself to his feet and begins his trek back.

Before he could take more than a couple steps the door to TenTens room bursts open causing the blonde to freeze as beads of sweat begin running down his body as a now fully clothed TenTen stomps her way out and her penetrating gaze pierces into Naruto. "NA...RU...TO!" Now although the girls had already seen the fearsome and terrifying being that is Arlong and the kind of terror he was capable of causing, they could honestly agree that his wrath was nothing compared to the terror caused from the killer intent that was radiating from the weapons user.

"Uh...girls. You better get outta here now. As in RIGHT NOW!" Naruto tells them as the pair heed his warning and wasting no time they race down the hallway with Nojiko pausing only long enough to scoop up the fox.

"I warned you didn't I Naruto-kun? Didn't I warn you about writing those damn ero novels!"

"B-but I."

"NO BUTS! I know that's what you were going to do you baka!" TenTen furiously rages as she glares at the now shaking blond.

XxX

A couple days after the incident and TenTen had ample time to cool off and more or less forgive Naruto even though he technically didn't do anything wrong. Lisanna and Kankuro were at the helm and she was attempting to teach him about subtle yet important signals in the weather that would prove useful for the puppet master if she wasn't immediately available to assist him in sailing. "Ugh...having to learn all this is a major pain in the ass Lisanna-san! I mean do I seriously have to learn all this crap?" Kankuro asks with a pained look of complete boredom on his face as he rest his forehead on the wheel.

"Of course you have to learn this! How else do you expect us to survive once we go to the Grand Line? That sea is like nothing you've ever imagined so you have to know this or else we could all die!" Lisanna informs him as he just waves off her explanation like it didn't matter.

"Oh kami you frustrate me to no end you...you...Lummox!" She says as she gets more and more frustrated with his lack of cooperation.

Kankuro continues hitting his head against the wheel in a vain attempt at drowning out Lisanna but much to his annoyance, it wasn't working. After a couple more minutes of this he eventually gets an idea that may or may not work but decides to try it anyways. "Hey isn't it about time for you to ask Naruto if it's time for him to train you yet?" He asks and hopes to kami that she would take the bait and leave him for some much needed quiet.

"Huh? Oh your right!" Lisanna happily exclaims as she turns around and skips all the way back into the ship as she heads for the kitchen since it was currently noon so Naruto would be making yet another vain attempt at convincing Nojiko to make him some Ramen, much to the Suna shinobis relief. The moment she was out of his line of sight he breathes out a sigh of relief. _'About time I got some damn peace and quiet. I mean this Grand Line place can't seriously be nearly as bad as she describes. Can it?'_ Kankuro thinks to himself as he begins rubbing his sore temple from his repeated head banging.

As Lisanna nears the kitchen she can overhear the now daily occurrence ever since Naruto ate the last bowl of instant ramen the day they left Cocoyashi village. "Oh come on Nojiko-san! Can't you please make me some Ramen? I swear I'm going to go into withdrawal if I don't get some soon!" Naruto pleads the blue haired woman who was slowly getting annoyed at his Ramen obsession.

"As I told you this morning as well as for every meal we've had for the past few days, I...don't...know... how...to...make...RAMEN! Why is it that I have to constantly remind you of that damn fact?" Nojiko states as she was gripping a frying pan over the stove with one hand and adding spices to the dish with her other.

"...Dear kami the withdrawal symptoms have already started! Ahhh it's causing me to loose my memory!" Naruto states as he comically drops to his knees and places his hands on his head. Nojiko turns her head and shakes her head a little in disappointment at the great hero who saved her village from Arlong. With her head turned she notices the resident navigator walk in. "Hey Lisanna. How's Kankuro-sans navigation lessons going?" She asks.

While uttering a groan of frustration Lisanna sits at the table and crosses her legs. "Not good at all. That baka just refuses to listen to a thing I say." Lisanna says as she looks at Naruto who was currently on his knees. "I assume your little act is over for the time being Naruto-kun?"

"Huh? Oh hey Lisanna-chan. What brings you down here?" Naruto asks as he leans his head back so he was now looking at an upside down Lisanna.

"I came down here to find you of course." Lisanna reaches over and gently flicks the tip of Narutos nose. "You did promise to train me didn't you? Or have you conveniently forgotten that as well?"

"Training? Oh ya that's right I did promise to train you!" Naruto says as he claps a fist into his palm.

Poor Lisanna looks on at Naruto with a look of disbelief at the fact that he actually forgot the promise he made to her, even if it was only temporarily forgotten. "Well the thing is Lisanna-chan. I was originally planning on buying some weights once we get to Logue Town so we can first work on building up your physical strength as well as your stamina."

"Weights? Won't they restrict my movements?" Lisanna asks as she holds an arm up and places her other hand on her forearm. "Not to mention that they would be incredibly uncomfortable. Isn't there another way?

"Hmm..." Naruto closes his eyes and crosses his arms as he starts to think. _'It's true that she primarily relies on her speed and flexibility in battle so I guess actual weights won't be as practical, since they will restrict her mobility somewhat. Then there's...'_

As Naruto was thinking to himself about the various ways he could train Lisanna he eventually realizes a way he can still apply weights to her without them taking up any space at all. "Well there is one way I can think of. But for certain reasons I don't think it's that good of an idea..." Naruto says as he opens his eyes and starts to stand up.

"Come on Naruto-kun! Tell me what your idea is." Lisanna pleads as she eagerly leans forward in her chair.

"Well it requires this..." Naruto starts to say as he starts to pull his shirt over his head causing Lisanna and Nojiko to blush as they watch as Naruto strips off his shirt. Immediately Lisannas mind is going into overdrive as she tries to figure out the reasoning behind him stripping, and unfortunately for her, her mind ended up going deep into the gutter as she clamps her eyes closed and erratically waves her hands in front of her. "N-No Naruto-kun! I-It's too soon for something like that! I mean I'm not e-even emotionally prepared for th-th-th-this!" She stutters as her entire body turns a deep crimson. Nojiko on the other hand was having similar thoughts on account of the situation so she was equally red as the thought crossed her mind as well.

"Huh? Emotionally prepared for what?" Naruto asks as he manages to remove his shirt to reveal an assortment of symbols and lines tattooed across from both of his elbows leading upwards to his shoulders to the point that they meet on his back. "I have no idea what your going on about but anyways...these are a kind of seal I learned about that apply weight to someones body." He then points to an array situated on his shoulders once Lisanna and Nojiko open their eyes. "I apply chakra to these points to do two things. 1: To either activate or deactivate the weight seals. 2: To either increase or decrease the amount of weight on my upper body." Naruto says as he points to a smaller seal situated just under the first larger one.

Slowly Lisanna stands up and walks closer to Naruto so she can get a better look at them. "These weird lines really do that Naruto-kun?" Lisanna asks as her face is very slowly loosing it's red colouring from her earlier embarrassment. "Ya it may seem weird but it is pretty effective. I also had this seal applied to my legs as well but for obvious reasons I chose to show you guys the ones on my shoulders instead." Naruto says with a small chuckle but causes both of them to return to their previous dark red state as they were now wondering about the seal placement on his lower half.

"Now the reason I don't think applying this seal on you should be fairly obvious..." Naruto starts to say but pauses momentarily as Lisanna and Nojiko seem to be a little lose by his meaning. With a sigh and a small blush he continues. "The reason why is because to apply the seal I have to be able to see where it's being placed...which means you'd have to be mostly naked...so that settles that. We will have to wait until we get to Logue town so we can get you regular weights!"

With having said his piece Naruto then stands up and drapes his shirt over his shoulder before he starts walking towards his quarters but freezes upon hearing Lisanna.

"Umm...Naruto-kun? W-Would it still be p-possible to apply the seal if I was wearing only a...a bikini?" Lisanna quietly asks as she can feel her entire body beginning to heat up from embarrassment.

Slowly Naruto turns his head as he looks back with a look of shock on his face. "...Y-Ya I assume that would work..."

With her face angled down in a vain attempt to hide her face she replies. "T-Then could you apply it? B-But not today of course! Maybe the day after we arrive? That w-would give y-you plenty of time to get e-everything r-r-eady for it..." She asks which results in Naruto giving her a slow nod.

Not wanting to make the situation anymore uncomfortable for anyone else Naruto wastes no time in retreating to his quarters, however he suddenly had a strange urge he just had to take care of...he had the urge to do some serious writing!

XxX

The remainder of the trip to Logue Town went by uneventfully however neither Naruto or Lisanna could look one another in the eye without them both turning red from embarrassment. Once the island itself was in sight Commodore Purinpurin and his fellow marines took their leave.

Upon arriving at the docks they were met with a fair surprise. There was an platoon of marines that seemed to have been awaiting their arrival. Of those marines, one man stood out over the rest. He was a fairly tall and muscular man who had wavy light blue-green hair and was wearing a open marine jacket that had several cigars strapped to the front, he was also wearing brown leather gloves, blue jeans with a brown belt and large military issued brown leather boots. He also had a jutte strapped to his back.

Once Narutos group docked their ship the muscular marine unclasped a pair of cigars and promptly lit them before placing them in his mouth as he watched the ship dock. The man didn't move from his spot until Naruto himself disembarked from the ship.

Naruto and the muscular man with two cigars in his mouth each walked across the dock towards one another and came to a stop so they were only a couple feet apart with the marine standing about a head and a half over Naruto. "I take it that your the kid Sengoku told me about?" The man asks Naruto as he peers down at him.

"Yep I sure am. And I take it that your the guy who's in charge around here?" Naruto replies with a cock grin as he reluctantly is forced to look up towards the imposing marine.

"Heh your damn right I am. I'm Captain Smoker and I'm in charge of the security over this town.

A lone marine with the sleeves of his uniform ripped off to show his bulging muscles in his arms steps forward and looks first towards his ranking commander then towards the blond. "Sir! I'm sorry but how can we be sure that this is really the diplomat from that new land, the elemental whatever it was called?" He asks as he eyes Naruto up and is obvious by the way he was looking at him that he sure didn't believe that a kid like him could possibly be all that strong, or for that matter even in the slightest bit dangerous.

Captain Smoker continues to stand there unmoving as hes eyes glance over towards the marine that had just spoken out. "I do agree that it's hard to believe a pipsqueak like him could be capable of taking down the fishman Arlong...So with that being said why don't you test the kid out?" Smoker replies as his gaze returns to Naruto and is slightly surprised to see the kid has a grin on his face.

"If you wanted some proof about my ability then all you had to do was ask Smokey!" Naruto tells him before looking back to his crew for a moment when a thought hits him. "How about we make things a little more interesting? If I manage to beat that smart mouth over there then you have to buy dinner for myself as well as the rest of my comrades. If I loose...well since there's no chance of that happening I'll leave that up for you to decide. Oh I'm even willing to give him a handicap. I won't use any ninjutsu and the rest of the marines here are free to join in." Naruto tells Smoker with a cocky grin plastered across his face as the surrounding crowd of civilians gasp in astonishment. And suffice to say the marine who had recently spoken out against Naruto was turning a shade of red from his anger at being so underestimated.

The marine captain almost dropped the cigars from his mouth when he heard Narutos declaration. He brought a hand up and began rubbing the underside of his chin as the considered the bet. 'Hmm...the kid seems pretty confident that he can easily win against my men. Now the plus side is that if and when I win the bet then the kid will have to do as I say. However if for some reason I should loose then I'm forced to foot the bill for his crews dinner. ' Smoker thinks to himself.

After another minute of thinking smoker lowers his hand and moves it between Naruto and himself with his palm open. "Alright then kid we have an agreement. However I don't know what this ninjutsu thing is and quite frankly I don't really care. Now you better not hold this against me once you loose." Smoker tells him as he awaits Naruto.

Naruto eagerly thrusts his hand forward and grips Smokers hand as his thoughts are for the moment anyway clouded by thoughts of all the ramen he will get out of this deal. "Oh I won't hold it against you...especially since your gonna loose. So where and when shall we do this?" Naruto asks as they finish shaking hands.

He may not have been too sure but Naruto could swear from seeing the look in Smokers eyes that he had a sure fire win planned. Smoker then does what Naruto didn't suspect...he turned around and started walking towards the ever growing crowd of civilians. "MEN! I'm sure you all heard the terms of engagement...oh sorry I mean agreement. Now citizens I want you all to back the hell away from this little brawl." Smoker calls out loudly enough for everyone to hear him and comes to a stop just as he nears the citizens before he turns around and raises a single hand into the air. "Now you all should know what I expect. Don't go easy on the kid however I will not tolerate it if he's killed. Other than that have fun." Smoker says as he pulls his hand down to signal the attack.

Back beside their ship TenTen and the rest of the shinobi just lean back and relax as they watch their captain be surrounded by the marines who've currently been assembled. Out of the group the only ones who looked even slightly worried were Nojiko and Lisanna even though they had already witnessed a portion of Narutos strength back at Arlong Park. Kankuro easily notices their worried expressions and a small smile forms as he now has to constantly remind himself that the two young women were still clueless as to Narutos true power. "Hmm...it's an interesting handicap that Narutos seems to have placed on himself. However he should still easily overpower these guys." He whispers to the pair as he wraps an arm around each of their shoulders and gently angles their heads to they were looking forward.

Naruto just raises his arms and places his hands behind his head as he watches the marines form a tight circle around him in their attempt to cut off any means of escape. By this point Naruto was getting fairly impatient as he tries his best to wait for them to make the first move and much to both his surprise and delight, the marine wearing the shirt with the ripped off sleeves was the first to enter the ring. The man doesn't waste anytime in removing said shirt and throwing it off to the side before he raises his fists and strikes a boxing pose.

"Alright then you maggot! I'm going to make you pay for underestimating me." He says before rushing forward and thrusting his right arm forward to wards Naruto. But just as the fist nears him, Naruto then vanishes.

"Huh what the hell? Where the fuck did he go?" The loud-mouthed marine exclaims as he quickly turns around as he tries to figure out just where the blonde disappeared to. As he continues to quickly turn around he comes to hear someone in the audience starting to snicker at him. He looks towards his fellow marines thinking that they're the ones laughing at him but much to his surprise, the other marines were looking directly at him with their jaws dropped and their eyes practically bugging out of their sockets. "Just what's going on with you guys?" He barks out as he now looks towards the civilians who had similar looks on their faces. In anger he turns back towards the ship to see Narutos fellow shinobi minus the tall stone-faced Aurora, all busting their asses laughing at HIM!

By this time the marine was severely pissed off and raises his head and lets out a roar of frustration. "Just where the hell did you go you little bastard!" He screams out.

"Behind you." Comes a voice from behind the muscular man but before he can turn around Naruto silences him with a quick chop to the back of his neck.

Back on the sidelines Smoker had to admit that the kid was good. Really good since every time the marine turned around Naruto had in fact been constantly staying in his blind spot and all the while was making goofy faces at the now shirtless marine before finally choosing to finish him off with a simple yet effective chop.

'Damn the kid is certainly good...however I still don't think he's up for what I've got in store for him.' Smoker thinks to himself as he notices a familiar dark haired woman weaving in-between the crowd on a collision course with him. "It's about damn time you got here Tashigi!"

Sergeant Tashigi finally manages to get through the crowd and comes to a stop by Smokers side. "Umm... Captain? Who are our men fighting? I don't see any pirate ships in the port." Tashigi says as she repositions her glasses.

"They're fighting with that kid that Sengokus been going on about for the past week." Smokers tells her without retracting his gaze at the boy who was now motioning to the other marines to come at him.

The brunette quickly spins towards Smoker with an astonished look on her face. "WHAT?! Why on earth aren't you stopping them? This could lead to an international incident if he's harmed!" She exclaims in disbelief that her Captain would allow such a fight to go on. "I mean if Sengoku-sama were to learn about this he'd-" She starts to say but is forced to stop once smoke starts to cover her face making it difficult for her to lecture her superior.

"That's enough Tashigi! The boy quite literally asked for this himself." Smokers states as the trail of smoke coming from his cigars continues to drift around Tashigi. "In fact if and when our men loose I order you to step in and challenge him."

By this time Tashigi has managed to cover her mouth and nose to prevent the smoke from impeding her from speaking. "B-but sir...I can't do that." She says in between coughs.

"You can and you certainly will fight him." Smoker says as he watches Naruto effortlessly back-flip over a pair of marines before grabbing the side of their heads and smashing them together. By this time the smoke from his cigars have now altered their previous course and was now harmlessly floating off into the sky. Tashigi lets out a sigh of relief that the smoke changed course before frowning at her superior. "If you say so sir..." She reluctantly says as she grips onto her beloved sword.

Back on the shinobi side Lisanna was watching intently at Narutos fluid motions as he seemingly and effortlessly weaves around the marines constant barrage of blows and all the while she could almost swear that she would catch Naruto looking her way whenever he dodged an attack. "If I didn't know any better I'd probably think he was doing this for my sake." She quietly says to herself. "No...Your right in that assumption. Your style seems to focus on using your flexibility and cat-like reflexes to get the better of your opponent. However it would seem that at the moment you're only able to handle one or maybe two opponents at a time. Naruto-sama seems to be using this fight as a lesson to teach you how to take on multiple opponents at a time." Aurora openly says as she casually watches the little brawl seemingly uninterested due to the fact of a lack of bloodshed.

The fight seems to go on for several more minutes and by this time the marines surrounding Naruto have started to become fatigued and tired making their moves sloppy and all too easy to read. "Well this was fun and the fight seems to have served it's purpose so I guess I should end this." Naruto says with a semi-reluctant sigh as he once again looks over towards his new student. With that being said Naruto rushes towards the edge of the group and leaps a short distance away from the exhausted marines. Without a moments hesitation he races forward and strikes the nearest marine hard in the stomach causing him to fly backwards and knocking out everyone behind him. With another cocky grin Naruto looks towards Smoker. "Well that's all of them Smokey. You owe us all dinner!" He happily says to the marine commander.

"I have to admit that your abilities seem to be superior to my men. However you haven't won quite yet kid." Smoker says as he chews the ends of his cigars for a moment before forming a fist and sticks his thumb out towards Tashigi whom was still standing beside him. "Your up now Tashigi so get in there. And don't worry I don't want you to kill him."

With a drawn out sigh Tashigi starts walking towards Naruto at a slow yet reasonable pace as she gently rubs her temple with her index finger and thumb. Once she manages to navigate herself through the piles of unconscious bodies she comes to a stop and looks up at the blonde. "I'm really sorry about this umm...sorry but I didn't catch your name..." She nervously says.

"It's Naruto...Naruto Uzumaki. And don't worry I understand your just doing your duty. But don't worry about my safety, so just come at me at full strength." Naruto says with a friendly grin which seems to somewhat relax Tashigis stiff posture.

Naruto watches as Tashigi unsheathes her sword and holds it in front of her with both hands on the handle. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Suddenly she opens her dark brown eyes to reveal a fire in them that wasn't there before. "Alright then Naruto-sama. Prepare yourself." She says as she races towards Naruto with her blade raised into the air.

With pause or hesitation she quickly brings the blade down just ash she nears Naruto but instead of striking flesh, she hears a metallic clang as her sword strikes one of Narutos trident shaped kunai.

'That's a strange looking knife...I've never seen one shaped like that before.' She thinks before taking a quick step back then thrusting her blade back out in a flurry of strikes that Naruto either blocked or dodged.

Much to her surprise she was actually gaining ground as her blows slowly but steadily force Naruto back further and further towards the ships and his crew.

"Wow your actually pretty good Tashigi-san! A heck of a lot better then those other guys." Naruto compliments as she continues to dodge and block every single one of her attacks with was steadily beginning to frustrate the swordswoman. "Thanks Naruto-sama. I believe when it comes to combat everyone is equal and shouldn't be treated any different just because of their gender...So I would appreciate it if you would fight seriously!" She says before picking up her pace.

Naruto replies with a small sigh as he realizes that he's doing exactly what she seems to hate the most. Treating her like a common woman and not like a warrior so he decides to just end it as soon as possible. By this time the pair are just passing by Narutos crew and Tashigi suddenly notices something that catches her eye. Practically as quick as lightning she vanishes and comes to an abrupt halt in front of Aurora and Killer Bee. Much to Narutos dismay he certainly wasn't expecting that so when he came to counter-attack she was nowhere to be found causing the blonde to nearly fall over as she soon realizes where she went to.

"Oh kami! Just where did you come across such amazing swords!" She happily exclaims as she quickly circles around the pair as she attempts to admire the unique weapons. "Please! You have got to let me get a closer look at your blades!" She asks as she eagerly holds her hands out in hopes that they will allow her what she seeks.

Naruto walks up behind Tashigi who was now practically drooling over the swords and has completely forgotten about the shinobi she was supposed to be sparring with. He shakes his head in disbelief as he holds one of his kunai out and gently presses it against her neck. "And you loose with that! Sorry Tashigi-san but you let down your guard."

As Naruto says this Tashigi immediately tenses up as she realizes that she forgot she was still technically in combat. Moments later Naruto removes the kunai and immediately places it back in it's holster. Once the blade it taken away Tashigi drops to her knees still unable to accept the fact she allowed herself to become distracted during battle.

"That was disgraceful Tashigi. If this was an actual fight then you'd be DEAD! You still have a lot to learn." Smoker barks out from across the dock. Tashigi forces herself to get up and walk over to Smoker with her head hanging down shamefully and utters a number of apologies as she passes Smoker.

Captain Smoker watches in disappointment as as Tashigi walks back over to the sidelines. Once she gets there he starts walking towards Naruto. "You continue to surprise me Uzumaki-san. However you still haven't won your precious bet yet."

"Huh? What do you mean by that Smokey? I mean I have just beaten everyone of you guys here other than...kami are you serious? YOU intend to fight me as well?" Naruto says as the realizations hits him and causes him to understand Smokers confidence.

"That's right! I suggest you remove that handicap of yours or else your gonna be eating pavement." Smokers tells him.

"Not a chance! I never go back on my word so lets just do this."

"Suit yourself kid. But don't say I didn't warn you." Smoker says before he raises both of his arms in front of him and aims them in Narutos direction.

"White Out!"

Much to the surprise of the shinobi, Smokers hands literally shoot towards Naruto with a trail of smoke trailing behind them. Naruto was honestly curious of the strength level of this particular marine so he decided to hold his ground and let at least one attack hit him.

Unfortunately that was his first mistake because once Smokers fists made contact they immediately burst and enveloped Narutos entire body in smoke except for his head. "Hey what the?" Naruto questions as his he struggles in vain in his attempt to escape the smoke. He was then lifted right off the ground and high into the air before he was quickly turned around so his head was facing the ground before Smoker violently smashes him face first into the ground.

With Narutos body violently struck into the ground a large clump of dust and debris flies into the air and momentarily surrounds him. Much to his relief Smoker had temporarily released him granting the blonde a few moments to come to his senses. Not wanting to waste anymore time Naruto rushes out of the cloud of debris and towards Smoker. As fast as he can Naruto pulls back his right fist for a moment before striking Smoker in the face, which surprisingly dissipates as soon as Narutos fist makes contact.

"Huh? Did I seriously just decapitate you! Oh Kami I am so sorr-" Naruto starts to say before a small cloud of smoke flies towards Smokers neck and a new head forms right before Narutos eyes. The blonde had only a moment before smoker pulls back his own fist and sends Naruto flying across the dock and into the ocean.

_'Man just what the hell was that?'_ Naruto thinks to himself before his mental consciousness is pulled back into Kuramas domain.

"**Honestly Naruto have you already forgotten what that young female told you about Devil Fruits?"** Kurama mentions to him in Narutos mind.

"Huh? Ya of course I remember. She said that there were three different types, there was Zoan which can turn someone into an animal like Lisanna-chan. Paramecian which changes the body structure into that of a super human like Luffy-sans rubber body. And Logia which...Kami...Logia is what Smokey has isn't it? He can turn into and control smoke..." Naruto says while silently cussing to himself for not realizing it earlier.

"**Exactly! And as long as he has no physical form then physical attacks are useless, and since you made the promise to not use any Ninjutsu against him or his men then your pretty much screwed."** Kurama tells him before flashing Naruto a big toothy grin.

"Maybe...then again maybe not! There is still at least one technique that I can use since it's not technically Ninjutsu!" Naruto happily exclaims as he snaps in realization.

Back in the real world the spectators were all looking towards the ocean wondering just when Naruto would resurface. A number of them were now talking about the possibility that Naruto could've eaten a Devil Fruit and was now sinking to his death. However they didn't have too long to fully consider that as a column of water is sent into the air as Naruto resurfaces between two ships.

"Man Smoker-san I have to admit. That was one hell of a punch...Also it's too bad I promised that I wouldn't use Ninjutsu since I didn't want to try this so early in our journey." Naruto calls out as he slowly walks on the waters surface as he makes his way back to the dock. The civilians were now dead silent as the shinobi was doing something none of them have ever seen before. Once Naruto reaches the dock he wastes no time in leaping high into the air and lands just a few feet from Smoker so had been silently watching him.

"Now If you can give me a moment I'll show you the power of a Sage!" Naruto says as he closes his eyes and stills his body.

"...Sage? Just what the hell do you mean by that kid?" Smoker asks Naruto but when he doesn't get a response he turns towards the other shinobi who were still on the sidelines. "You with the hair buns. Tell me just what does he mean by power of a Sage?" He asks TenTen as he points to her.

TenTen points to herself in mild surprise and annoyance for being referred to by her hair style. Smoker nods to confirm that he's talking to her. "I have no intention of going too deeply into it especially since Naruto refuses to tell me the details on the matter but a number of years ago, soon after his master was killed. Naruto-kun left the village for a time to learn how to become one with nature...whatever the hell that really means...but whatever the training required it was certainly dangerous." TenTen says as she glares at Smoker who looked as lost as ever.

"Ya that tells me a lot." Smoker scoffs as he starts to look back towards the still unmoving Naruto but pauses for a moment as he notices that Lisanna looks to be staring intently at the blond for a reason he was unable to understand.

With his eyes now focused on Naruto, Smoker pulls back another fist so he can once again send Naruto flying.

"White Blow!"

Once again Smokers fist rockets towards Naruto but unlike the last time where he was sent flying, this time his body never moved although his hand did. "Hmm...It would seem I was right." Naruto says he holds Smokers hand away from his own body.

Knowing that he only had a set amount of time to finish this before Sage Mode ran out Naruto knew that he didn't have time to waste. Especially since he now seemed to be able to make physical contact with Smokers body, and once the marine figured that out then Naruto knew he wouldn't be given anymore opportunities to gather anymore natural energy for Sage Mode.

Naruto races forward and proceeds to strike the marine Captain hard in the stomach causing the muscular man to double over in pain but only momentarily. 'What the hell? How is it that he can touch me now? Something must have change within him...The question is what...' Smoker wonders as he prepares to defend himself from Narutos barrage of blows.

As Smoker does his best to dodge and block Narutos blows he notices the orange surrounding the boys eyes and that his pupils themselves have changed, much to the marines confusion. As each blow nears him, Smoker was becoming more and more cautious about Naruto so he decided that it would be best if he got some distance from the shinobi. At the first chance he got, Smoker went to attack Naruto but the attack was merely a feint so the marine shot past the blonde and flew into the air and landed on a nearby rooftop.

"I don't know what you did Uzumaki-san, but I refuse to give up this fight!" Smoker states as he glares down at the blonde headed shinobi. "Glad to hear it Smoker-san. Because I refuse to give up!" Naruto responds. With that being said Naruto crouches down and prepares to leap into the air at Smoker but just as he's about to a loud voice comes from a nearby loudspeaker that catches the attention of the pair.

"Stop this right now! Smoker, under direct orders from HQ I order you to cease all hostile actions against the diplomat IMMEDIETLY!"

With a scowl on his face, Smoker leaps off the building and safely lands on the ground. "Although it pains me to say this, it seems that I have to step down from this fight..." Smokers says as he sends a glare towards a nearby speaker that was situated on a pole overlooking the dock.

"Since your being forced to forfeit then I guess that makes me the winner of our little game. So you have to pay for our meal tonight!" Naruto says as he casts a sly grin towards Smoker who returns it with a scowl. "However in exchange I can talk to your superiors and make sure you don't get punished for our little spar since it was fun."

Smokers scowl doesn't disappear but it does lessen as he listens to Naruto. He gives a shrug of acknowledgement before he points his thumb in the direction of the town. "Fine then. In that case have your crew come to the station at exactly 6pm. If you don't arrive on time then the bets off." Smoker says as he begins to walk back towards the town but sends a funnel of smoke to pick up his wounded and unconscious subordinates to bring them back with him.

Once Smoker gets outta sight another marine who was stationed nearby was holding a transponder snail out for him. With a grunt of annoyance Smokers grabs the mouthpiece and holds it in front of his mouth. "It's Smoker...Ya that's right Aokiji sir...yes he was more capable that first believed... no I don't believe that he's a threat. He had the chance to do serious damage to my men but instead chose to render them unconscious with minor injuries." Smoker says into the speaker.

Once Smoker leaves the docks, Naruto walks back over to his crew. "So what do you guys think about the fight?" Naruto asks them with a more serious expression.

"It was educational Naruto. At least we now know that those with logia type devil fruits are intangible so most if not all physical attacks are rendered virtually useless. I have to rethink the mechanisms of my puppets..." Kankuro mentions as he glances over his shoulder to the scrolls containing his puppets.

"Great...this means all my weapons will be worthless against them. So far all we know is that your Sage Mode is capable of hitting them. Ninjutsu may have a similar effect but we don't know that since you refused to use any!" TenTen venomously states as she glares at Naruto who was holding his hands up defensively.

"Hey calm down TenTen-chan! You should know my reasons for now using any." Naruto quietly says as he ensures there's ample room between them.

"Umm...Naruto-san? Whats wrong with your eyes?" Nojiko inquirers as she moves forward until she's only a few inches from Narutos face as she gazes at the orange markings around his eyes.

"I'll tell you about that later." Naruto says and quickly changes the subject. "Well we have a few hours until six so how about we-"

Suddenly Naruto feels an ominous presence and his head turns to the side and his eyes gaze intently at a dark alleyway. "I'll be back in a bit. There's something I need to look into..." Naruto says before he turns the rest of his body around and races towards the alley.

"Huh? Hey wait a sec Naru-" TenTen starts to call out but cuts herself off as she watches Naruto disappear into the alley. "...And he's gone...great..." The weapons user lets out a sigh of frustration before turning to the rest if the crew. "Alright then. I guess this means we have free rein to do whatever we want until six. That is except for Lisanna-chan and Nojiko-chan. The two of you should stay with at least one of us just to be safe." TenTen informs the group before readjusting her gaze on the two youngest girls.

"Well then I guess I'll go with-" Nojiko starts to say before being interrupted but Lisanna.

"I'll go with Naruto-kun!" Lisanna states before taking off to follow him.

Nojiko and the others watch the energetic Lisanna race towards the alleyway however no one attempts to stop her. "Uh...shouldn't one of you guys stop her?" Nojiko asks as she turns towards TenTen.

"I have a feeling that she'll be fine. With that nose of hers it won't take her long to track down that idiot." TenTen states before grabbing Nojikos arm. "I guess you might as well come with me then."

"Huh? W-why's that?" Nojiko asks with a hint of worry in her voice.

Immediately TenTen sends a glare her way. "Do you have a problem about going with me...well?"

"Well no...but..."

"That settles that. Now come!" TenTen tells the blue haired girl and starts dragging her into town.

With a shrug and a grin on his face Kankuro leaves, soon followed by Aurora and Bee who each go their separate ways.

XxX

Naruto weaves through the alleys in town almost as if he'd already been there before, all the while relying on his sage mode to hold out long enough for him to find the presence he felt from back at the docks. As he rounds the final corner which somehow lead to a dead end. He tilts his head to the side in confusion as he tries to figure out just how he managed to loose the person he was following. With a shrug of his shoulders he turns around to see that he wasn't alone in the alleyway any longer, in fact there was one more person. A scowl forms across Narutos face as he quickly unsheathes a kunai and gets into a defensive stance as he stares down the man standing before him.

"Kukukukuku." Laughs the man wearing what would appear to be a scientists lab coat with a ball cap on his head that held the symbol of the marines. He held his hands out to either side of his body to show that he was unarmed as he slowly walks out of the shadows. "What's the matter Naruto-kun? By your expression I can see that your not pleased to see me. Quite rude I have to say, especially since we've known one another for such a long time."

"Just what the hell are you doing here?" Naruto calls out in surprise as he gets a good look at the man.

* * *

And there you guys go, the newest chapter is finally done. And yes you can all probably guess just who that last person is. I couldn't quite remember how his laugh went so I will probably have to eventually go back and fix that part up at some point, as well as any errors I made while writing this. Before anyone asks I will explain his reasoning for being in Logue town in the next chapter. Well anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and sorry again for the delay.


	17. Chapter 17

Well here it is! I finally got around to finishing this chapter so I hope you all enjoy.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

_**'Demon/Summon thinking'**_

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

As Naruto stares down the man wearing the marine hat and scientist robes who was still standing in the shadows. Although Naruto couldn't see the mans face at the moment, he could still tell that they had certainly met before.

"Now now Naruto-kun, put that kunai away. There's no reason for you to be threatened...in fact I'm only here to talk." The man informs the blonde as he walks out of the shadows and into the light. Narutos azure eyes go wide as he gets a good look at the man that had given him a weird and unnerving vibe.

Here standing before him was the last man he ever expected to see again. The very man who had cause so much suffering to the people back home, and even gave Naruto himself nightmares when he was younger...Orochimaru...

Narutos grip on the kunai tightened as his eyes focused on the pale face of one of the most infamous and dangerous enemies Naruto had faced in his past. "Orochimaro...I honestly never thought I'd have to see you again...especially since we banished you from the Elemental Nations..."

"Yes the banishment...how could I ever forget the mercy you bestowed upon me. Especially since the other Kages insisted on my beheading, even though I was responsible for saving their lives during the war. How soon they forget such details." Orochimaru says as he cracks a small grin. His slit eyes gaze deeply towards Naruto with an intense focus. The snake sannin moves his right hand behind his back and lets out a small cackle of amusement when he notices Naruto stiffen. "Do calm yourself Naruto-kun. I don't bite...well not too hard at least."

A moment later Orochimaru pulls out a scroll and a small slip of paper and gently tosses them towards Naruto who easily catches them. The blonde eyes the scroll with a mix of confusion and concern as he wonders just what the sannin is up to. Naruto cocks an eyebrow as he reshifts his gaze from the scroll that was now in his free hand then back towards the snake shinobi. "Just what are you up to Orochimaru? And why are you giving me this?" Naruto asks as he raises the scroll.

"You can consider the scroll a gift from me as a reward for finally becoming Hokage like you always envisioned. And as for what I'm up to...well not long after my banishment I set out to sea with most of the data I've managed to compile over the many years." Orochimaru began to say as his gaze momentarily drifts to his side towards the entryway of the alley before looking back at Naruto. "One moment Naruto-kun...it would appear that we have an eavesdropper." Just as soon as those words leave his lips Orochimaru turns around and raises one hand in the direction of the apparent eavesdropper.

"Striking Shadow Snake!"

Dozens of long snakes immediately dart out of his sleeve and quickly round the corner so they may wrap around and immobilize the culprit. A momentary scream of fear escapes the persons mouth before a snake wraps around the persons head to cover their mouth to prevent anymore noises. The Sannin pulls his arm back causing the snakes to drag the person over towards their master. Orochimaru uses the snakes to force the youth to her feet. As they do so the youth tries to struggle for a moment but goes completely still as one of the snakes rears its head before hers and hisses with its mouth open wide to reveal it's fangs.

With the person now standing infront of Orochimaru in clear sight, Naruto was quick to recognize that the person was in fact his navigator! Not wanting to waste anytime Naruto quickly calls out to the Sannin. "Release her Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru looks towards Naruto with a slightly bored expression on his face. "Release her? Now why would I do something as foolish like that? I can't just release someone who was listening in on such an important conver-" He starts to say before trailing off as he watches Lisanna with newfound fascination as she transforms into her hybrid form and attempts to bite clean through the snake that was covering her mouth. "Fascinating...So she must have the powers of one of these Devil Fruit I've heard so much about, a Zoan type if I recall correctly. Hmm...I think I may just keep you, at the very least so I may dissect you in order to learn more about these abilities..." He starts to say as he gently places his other hand against her face and trails downward until his fingertips were resting on her chin and a look of horror fills her slit eyes as she watches his long tongue exit his mouth and slowly move towards her cheek as it drips saliva.

"Wind Style: Crescent Moon Blades!"

Several white crescent shaped blades of wind rush forward towards Orochimaru and manage to slice his arms off as well as slicing the dozen snakes into various pieces. Several of the wind blades miss Orochimarus body as he managed to leap back just as the first blade began to slice into his flesh, and just as he leaps back a clone of Naruto was quick to grab onto Lisannas bound form and leap back towards the original whose hands were held out before him, with one hand fully extended while the other was positioned close to his body. Both of his fingers on either hand were fully extended and pressed tightly against one another as his thumbs were curved under his hands.

"What's the meaning of this Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru demands as he holds his bleeding stump of an arm out infront of him.

"I told you to release her! She's an important friend as well as my new student!" Naruto exclaims as he protectively wraps an arm around a shivering Lisanna who has now reverted back to her human form. The now terrified Lisanna clings to Naruto as her eyes look towards the Sannin.

Orochimaru turns his head to the side as he looks from the girl then back to Naruto. "Your student huh..." He quietly says with a hint of dissapointment and annoyance. "Your just like Jiraiya in that matter. Always taking on disciples that are just mediocre...then again...you managed to surpass my expectations of you at that time...way back when you and Jiraiya were also looking for Tsunade..."

Naruto looks down at the shivering Lisanna for a moment then looks back at Orochimaru with a determined and clear minded look on his face. "Just mediocre disciples huh? All of the pervy sages disciples became great! Both my dad and me became Hokage! As for Nagato and Konan...they did stray from the right path but they became the leaders of Amegakure. When it comes down to it...I'm proud they were my fellow disciples! So don't you dare insult my masters ability to raise his students!"

"Hmmm...I guess your correct in that case Naruto-kun. When you put it like that you certainly make a valid point. Now as for the young lady..." Orochimaru says as he turns his gaze back towards Lisanna who does her best to hide behind Naruto and to look as small as possible. "...I'll leave her alone. I have no wish to give you a reason for us to fight. Especially since I do still have business with you Naruto-kun." The Sannin says before raising his head up and opening his mouth wide. Much to the disgust of Naruto he watches a pair of slimy hand slide out of the mans mouth before they grip onto both halves of his jaw. With one quick and solid movement they stretch the jaw far past physical limits to make room for Orochimarus new body to exit from his old one, only this time he was wearing the outfit Naruto was more used to complete with the purple rope tied around the mans waist.

A look of revulsion and disgust appears on Narutos face as he is unable to takes his eyes off the Sannin. "Ok...I'll say this since you must know I'm thinking it...That is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen..." Naruto says as he gags a little.

With a creepy laugh Orochimaru steps out from his shedded body. "Well I wouldn't have had to do that if a certain someone hadn't sliced my arms off...But seeing how uncomfortable I've made you I think I can let it go. Kufufufufu." Once the snake Sannin had finished cleaning himself off he looks back at Naruto. "Now back to business...a few years ago I began to hear rumours that the World Government had managed to uncover a strange new land that was somehow hidden within the East Blue. At the time I wanted to expand my knowledge of this world so I joined the marines as a scientist and have managed to quickly work my way up the ranks. So much so that at the moment there are only a few other scientist who are above me. Although one particular does annoy me. Since I'm still new to the marines, they have severely limited my contact with any information regarding these strange fruits of power...but I'll return to that later since I now seem to have gotten a little off track...The World Government has made several attempts at making contact with this new land however they always seemed to run into the same problem...a certain giant three tailed turtle always destroyed any and all ships that came within several miles towards the shoreline..."

"Isobu? He did say that he was willing to protect the nations as long as he was left in peace, but I didn't know that's what he had planned..." Naruto quietly says. Lisanna continues to cling to him but she slowly looks up as she tries to pay attention to what's being said.

"As I was saying...The Three-Tails had continued to destroy ship after ship until finally the World Government had enough and sent two Admirals to either vanquish or subdue it."

"Aikinu and Aokiji." Naruto says while nodding.

A look of apparent and new found interest appears on Orochimarus face. "Yes them...Anyways from what I heard the Admirals were attacked by the the Three-Tails and Aokiji managed to completely immobilize its body. Then he gave the order for them to resume their journey since the Biju was incapable of resuming it's attack however Aikinu didn't agree so he chose to mortally wound him while it was unable to defend itself. Sadly I was unable to learn how he did the Biju in. And most regrettably...it would seem that the marines took the opportunity to capture him." He explains.

As Naruto listens intently, in his mind he was envisioning different scenarios as to how Isobu might have been brought down. With each scenario that goes through his mind both Naruto and his partner grew more and more agitated. In all honesty Kurama was fuming and already plotting how they could take revenge and rescue his Biju brother.

XxX

"**Naruto! Force that detestable snake to tell us where Isobu is!"** Kurama growls out as he bares his teeth while his tails were starting to twitch lightly to show his obvious anger on the matter. **"And if he doesn't know then ask that marine that's made of smoke. Tell him that if this so called World Government refuses to meet my demands then I will tear them apart!"**

"Oi calm down Kurama! I completely agree that we have to rescue Isobu, however we do have obligations and responsibilities, so it would be best if we can avoid all out war!" Naruto attempts to calm his large and furry partner down. "Also I get the feeling that we should try to avoid letting the world know too much about you and your fellow Biju than we already have... Hopefully they won't know much about you guys since you all live in the Elemental Nations."

Kurama immediately fixes his eyes on Naruto as he takes in what was said. **"Ga that it true. But as you should well know...I don't care what needs to be done to release Isobu. If they refuse then just give me control so we can transform to my true self...that way they will mearly think that a god-like and divine being such as myself has arisen to release him. This way the government won't be able to make the connection to you."** Kurama says with a hint of pride in his voice as he raises his head high.

Naruto looks at his partner with a deadpan look but chooses to avoid saying too much so he just nods and whispers to himself. "I just hope it doesn't come to that..."

XxX

The blonde raises his head and locks eyes with the snake sannin. "...Where is he? Where is Isobu being held?" His piercing blue eyes looked on with unwavering focus as he awaited an answer.

"Alas I do not know as of yet Naruto-kun...However I should be able to gather enough information by the time your ready to depart this town." Orochimaru says as he turns around and begins to walk away but momentarily pauses as he reaches the corner. "When next we meet I'll tell you what's contained within that scroll. Also...it would seem that a old friend of yours was here not too long ago...I presume you know of whom I speak." Once Orochimaru says this he walks around the corner.

"An old friend? Just who could he mean by tha-" Naruto starts to say to himself as realization fills his eyes as finally realizes what the sannin meant by that. "No...it can't be!" He quickly forces himself forward and pulls out of Lisannas grip and hurries to the corner of the alley where Orochimaru just went. But as he reaches the corner he discovers that the sannin is nowhere to be found. "Dammit! Just where the hell did you go!" He exclaims as he proceeds to kick a can that was lying on the ground nearby.

_'Great...where the hell did that treacherous snake go now...ugh seriously what the hell? He had to have been talking about Sasuke...I mean who else do I know that could possibly be out here?'_ Naruto wonders as he stands there in the alleyway with his arms crossed. As he stands there thinking to himself the sound of someone muttering to themselves as well as muffled sobs broke his train of thought.

The blondes gaze drifts around in an attempt to discover the source of the noise. His gaze eventually drifts to the form of Lisanna who was now sitting on the ground besides a nearby dumpster with her knees pressed firmly against her chest with her arms wrapped around them in a vice-like grip.

_'Shit...I completely forgot about Lisanna-chan!'_ Naruto mentally slaps himself in an attempt to refocus. Without any hesitation he races back over to her side and crouches down nearby before gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Lisanna-chan...Its alright now. I'm sorry you had to go through something like this."

Without even looking up Lisanna merely continues to cry into her knees. Now that Naruto was much closer he could finally hear what she was muttering to herself. "Snakes...Dear kami why did it have to be snakes...now I've been left alone again...just like before..."

_'Left alone again? What does she mean by that...who left her before? Ugh I don't have time to worry about that!'_ Naruto furiously shakes his head to clear away his thoughts before he makes another vain attempt to uncurl Lisannas from her fetal position, but after several attempts which are all unsuccessful he decides that he should just pick her up as she is and bring her straight back to the ship. So just as soon as Lisanna was safely in his arms he quickly vanishes in a brilliant flash of light.

XxX

Meanwhile in a different part of the city, both TenTen and Nojiko were wandering around the shopping district.

"There's just so many damn clothing shops...heh heh this street would be like a small paradise for Ino..." TenTen remarks as she stands in awe at the numerous different clothing shops that lined the streets.

"Ino? Who's that?" Nojiko asks as she walks alongside the brown haired kuniochi.

TenTen stretches her arms out above her head. "Hmm? Oh, Ino Yamanaka is a friend of mine and Naruto-kuns from back home. She's a kunoichi that uses techniques that revolve around controlling her opponents minds. Out of our group of friends she's well...I guess you could say that she's the more fashion conscious of the group." TenTen says with a small giggle as she looks into the sky with a smile slowly forming on her lips as she recalls a moment from the past where her and all her friends were sitting in the newly rebuilt Barbeque restaurant that was a favourite of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. However her smile soon dissipates as she suddenly recalls an image of Neji Hyuga just as he was impaled by a number of long wooden spears that Obito created using the Juubi.

Upon noticing TenTens expression change to one of sadness Nojiko slowly began to worry. "Umm... TenTen-san? Are you alright?" Nojiko asks as she watches TenTen wipe away a tear that starting running down her cheek.

The kunoichi takes a deep breath and slowly releases it before replying. "I'm fine. I was just...thinking of those we lost during the war...friends, family and...those we loved..." TenTen then trails off as her eyes lock on some building off in the distance. "Well that looks like the kind of place we can trade this gold in..." TenTen says as she takes a scroll out of her pocket.

Sensing that TenTens wished to change the subject Nojiko figured that it was for the best. "Ya looks like it. So if you don't mind me asking, but where is this gold? All I see is a scroll." She inquirers.

With a small and weak smile TenTen responds. "The gold is sealed within this scroll. It has to do with another of the shinobi arts...one which is particularly tricky since the slightest mistake in creating the seal can have profound effects. Such as something as simple as an explosive tag..."TenTen pauses for a moment as she notices Nojikos confusion. "...ok its somewhat similar to a small explosive device. As I was saying, if someone makes a mistake when creating the explosive tag it can do one of two things: 1. The tag doesn't work. And 2. the magnitude of the explosion from the tag can be far greater than the user assumed and they themselves can be caught up in it and die!"

Nojiko looks on with shock and awe as she attempts to understand what TenTen has just told her. "so these seal things...is there a limit to what can be done with them?"

"Honestly I don't know Nojiko-san. If anyone would know it would be Naruto-kun. One of the subjects he's practically obsessed over since the end of the war was the art of sealing. From what he's told me, he seems to have overly abused the Shadow Clone Jutsu to the point where he's now a near master in the art which should usually take a near lifetime to accomplish." TenTen explains as they approach the door to the Currency Exchange. "Anyways Nojiko-san. Over the years you've seen a large amount of gold that your sister brought home right?"

"Ya...what about it?"

"Cause you should have a good eye when it comes to the value of treasure then so I'll be counting on you to ensure we don't get cheated...now if they DO decide to cheat us then...I'll have to take matters into my own hands." TenTen says as a wicked grin is plastered over her face with wicked thoughts running through her mind.

Upon hearing that Nojikos face pales slightly as she takes a careful step away from the weapon user, however TenTen was quick to grab her hand before she could get out of reach and immediately pulls her into the building.

XxX

In yet another part of town Kankuro came to the conclusion that for the moment anyway, he should collect as much information about the Grand Line as well as its dangers. So as he begins his walk through the city his eyes eventually rest on the information gathering station he was looking for...The local Tavern.

From the moment Kankuro entered the tavern he knew that people were giving him curious glances as well as the odd hushed snicker, yet he honestly didn't care since he understood that his current attire would be deemed unusual to these civilians. He glanced around the room and was quite pleased to see that there was an open table in the corner so he made his way over. But as he makes his way there a trio of men step on front of him to block his way. Kankuro looks up at them in boredom. "Get out of my way."

"Heh heh heh. Do you hear what the little girl said boss? 'She' actually has the nerve to tell US to move. That ain't right is is boss?" Mocked the short, messy red haired guy wearing a white suit standing to the left as looks up at the bald muscular man wearing a brown vest and jeans whom was standing between himself and the tall skinny blonde man wearing a black suit.

"Indeed..." The bald man says with a small grin as he looks down at the now scowling Kankuro. "It would seem that 'she' needs to learn her proper place."

"I'll warn you...one last time. Get...Out...Of...My...Way...Or...Else." Kankuro tells the trio as he raises a hand and starts to crack his fingers. "Oh and before I forget to mention this...I'm not the kind of person you can just push around. In fact I'm not even from here." As he says this he looks up at the bald man and makes eye contact with him.

The skinny guy raises his head and looks down on Kankuro as if he were superior. "O your not tat kind o person eh? Ten w/at are ye? Fro wat I see, yer just a akeup earing eirdo."

Kankuro looks at the man in mild interest. "Heh by the sounds of it, it would seem someone cut off a portion of your tongue. A pity...I would've taken the whole wretched thing." As the blonde hears this he promptly shuts his mouth. With a grin on his face Kankuro returns his gaze to the bald man. "I'm not like you...I'm a shinobi!" As Kankuro says this he quickly twitches his fingers and causes the trio to fall over.

Just as soon as the trio fall over they immediately begin to panic since they had no idea as to what just happened to them. "W-what just happened?" The bald man asks himself as he turns his head from side to side before his gaze once again drifts to Kankuro. He raises a hand and points at the puppet master.

"You! J-just what the hell did you do to us? And you can't honestly expect us to believe that your one of those monsters who down the fishman Arlong!" He exclaims in a mix of anger and worry.

"You can believe whatever you damn well want to. But facts are facts and his crew was completely taken down in under an hour." Kankuro tells them before giving his fingers another twitch causing the chakra strings he had attached to the trio to force them to stand up straight, and towards the corner booth he had his eye on earlier before their interuption. "Now you three are going to answer and and ALL questions I have about these seas or else I'll have to make you into my own personal marionettes!"

The short red haired one looks back at Kankuro with a slightly worried yet curious expression. "Marionettes? Just how do you intend to do that?" He asks causing his boss to glare at him.

With a cruel and sadistic smile Kankuro replies. "A number of years ago I came across a scroll that explained how to create a human puppet. However the technique is in most cases forbidden, however I've been given special permission to utilize the technique but on the condition that I may only use criminals and not innocent people which for a condition I'm more than alright with." Kankuro begins to explain once he's forced the trio to sit at the table, then he begins counting the specific steps for the makings of the puppet for the sole purpose to...encourage them to just answer any and all questions he has. "Well first of all I'll need to pull out your entrails. Then skin your bodies clean...after that I have to drain your blood down to the last...drop."

The bald man and his two accomplices pale as they listen to what Kankuro would do to them in order to make them into said puppets. About halfway through the gruesome explanation the bald man speaks up. "A-alright! We'll a-a-answer anything y-you want us t-t-to."

"Glad to hear that. Especially since I have yet to attempt to make my own puppet so I'm sure it would have been an agonizing and painful process...for you at least. Now...tell me about who this Gold Roger is..."

XxX

For the entire afternoon the swordswoman Aurora was been exploring the city and stopping by the occasional shops that sold the few things she was interested in. Medicinal herbs and a number of books on the medical field. However most of the other shops she was interested in didn't having anything that caught her interest in the way of swords and their maintenance.

As she makes her way back to the ship with a number of bags containing the various purchases shes made. On the way back she starts to pass another weapons but figures that it would be pointless to go in since they probably only had weapons that were greatly inferior to her personal sword the Nuibari. But as she was walking past the entrance she hears a man shouting in fright from inside. "Stop fooling around! You'll lose your arm!"

Upon hearing his voice and a few choice words her interest was now indeed peaked so she figured she should at the very least see what all the fuss was about. Without hesitation she quickly walks through the door and was quite surprised to see a certain green haired man holding his arm straight out to his side as a sword was falling towards it at a fairly rapid pace. Time appears the slow down to Aurora and the few others in the show as they all silently watch the falling blade near the mans muscular arm and somehow manages to miss it entirely before the blade embeds itself into the wooden floor of the shop.

With a grin on his face Zoro opens his eyes and looks towards the shopkeeper. "I'll take it!" Zoro tells the man before bending over just enough to grab the hilt of the sword and pull it out of the ground where he then proceeds to slide it back into it's sheath. "Hey, would you choose another sword for me?" He then asks the one other person in the shop besides himself, the owner and Aurora, who she then recognizes as the marine woman who was a little overly interested in his sword earlier that day.

Aurora realizes that the others still haven't noticed her presence in the shop due to Zoros previous act which absorbed their attention completely, so she just quietly moves off the the side so she can continue watching. The shop owner seemed quite impressed with Roronoa Zoros resolve so he left the room for a few moments and brought back another impressive blade which he then tells Zoro that he may have it free of charge. Zoro was a little taken back by the mans generosity but he still graciously accepted the mans gift of the two swords which he happily places at his waist. As he turns to leave he finally notices the white haired woman standing at the shops entrance with her arms crossed as she watches him.

"What the hell are you doing here woman?" He angerly demands as his left hand unconsciously trails down the concealed scar on his chest that she had sewn together at Arlong Park.

"I was just walking by when I heard the racket in here." Aurora calmly states as she looks down to his waist at his three swords. "So you use three swords huh? Not quite as impressive as Bees seven sword style. But...at least your not as annoying."

Her comment regarding Bees swordsmanship causes Zoros scowl to momentarily falter as he attempts to figure out what she meant by it.

"Umm...your that woman who was with Uzumaki-dono earlier today weren't you?" Tashigi asks as she gets up and get gaze immediately locks on Auroras unusual blade. With three long strides Tashigi closes the distance and holds her hands out in front of her. "May I please see your sword again? I'm sorry but it's just such an unusual and unique blade." She eagerly asks.

"Huh what's this about a unique blade?" The store owner asks as he walks around the counter and notices Aurora take the sword off it's spot on her back so Tashigi may examine it again. The man comes to a halt as he looks with wide eyes from Aurora to Zoro then to Auroras blade. "I-it can't be!"

"This blade was said to have been lost for hundreds of years! Just how did you manage to acquire it?" The man asks as his eyes gaze longingly at the blade.

Tashigi was taken back by his comment. "What do you mean hundreds of years? Most swords generally don't last that long before they rust and become unusable."

The man crosses his arms and slowly shakes his head for a moment. "Not these blades. Legend tells that hundreds of years ago there was a man who was said to hold unspeakable power yet he never seemed to use it for evil. The man travelled the world for many years before he eventually disappeared. However it's been said that he had three children. Two boys and one girl. While the two elder boys were human, it's been said that his daughter was somehow a mermaid! For all I know he may have had multiple wives, and if so then they would have had to have been of different species but we'll never know for sure. Now although the mermaid was young, she was said to have been a genius when it came to crafting. Everything she created was said to have held some untold ability. I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure this blade is one of the weapons she herself fashioned." He explains before pausing to take a breath as his eyes remain fixed on the longsword.

"How much would a blade like this even be worth?" Tashigi asks curiously.

"No idea...but if I had to venture a guess...at the lowest price it would have to be worth at least one to two hundred million...that is if it truly was one of her works."

XxX

The one and only rapping shinobi Killer Bee was parading around town rapping to himself but slows down as he reaches a plaza. Behind his dark shades his eyes open wide to a magnificent sight before him.

"Do my eyes dare to perceive this magnificent sight? I can only pray that they don't dare to deceive me about what's standing at that great height!" Bee exclaims to himself in mild disbelief but with a smile on his face.

Standing tall at the far end of the plaza was something he had hoped for but wouldn't dare to dream of seeing so soon on their journey. A platform standing high above the crowd. What most would know as the execution platform, Bee on the other hand could see it as only one thing...a stage!


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry for the delay in releasing this chapter. Sadly I've been lacking the urge to write lately but I have no intention of dropping this fic or any of my others. But anyways I'll try to get another out as soon as I can so I hope you enjoy this chapter. And like most people here I live off reviews and will ignore any flames.

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

**"Demon/Summon speaking"**

_**'Demon/Summon thinking'**_

"Jutsu/Attack name"

* * *

It had been a few hours since Narutos encounter with Orochimaru, and for each of those hours he spent his time by the bed of the zoan user Lisanna whom was now currently fast asleep. As Naruto looks down at his new apprentices pained expression, all he could do was curse himself for leaving her alone back in the alley while she was clearly terrified on account of the snake sannin. Sure he had only been gone a couple of minutes at most, however it seemed that was all it took for her in her vulnerable state to curl into her own fetal position.

Since the moment he returned to the ship, Lisanna continued to remain completely unresponsive no matter what he tried. Eventually he ended up placing her in her own bed while he wracked his brain as he tried to figure out just what he was supposed to do.

From his spot on the side of the bed he takes a moment to look at Lisannas expression as she slept which at the moment looked to be one of discomfort. _'Ugh...just what the hell am I supposed to do?'_ After a few short minutes of keeping watch over Lisanna he lets out an exasperated sigh. _'Not much I can do...at least until she wakes up. So I guess for the time being I should stay by her side.'_

"**Or you could try asking me for help."**

_'Huh? Help in what way Kurama?'_

"**Think about it for a moment. We talk a great deal with one another in your mind...if you can call this overly spacious and seemingly endless void a mind that is."** Kurama begins to chuckle a little as Naruto glares at him. **"The easiest way to help the young neko would be to enter her mind and confront her there. However you are unable to do so the normal way since your not one of those mind-raping Yamanakas. So we will have to go about it a different way."**

_'How so? I don't know any techniques that would...well as you choose to put it Mind-rape.'_

"**Through the use of those damnable seals of yours. You should know that much! All you pretty much have to do is apply the correct seal formula to both her forehead as well as your own, at that point your should be able to immerse your or should I say OUR consciousnesses into her own. However unlike the jutsu the Yamanaka clan use, this technique doesn't allow us to delve as deeply into someones mind. I'd say at least one to two levels at most so this isn't useful for interrogation."** Throughout Kuramas explanation, Naruto was listening intently, however he had a small scowl upon hearing the middle part. **"Don't give me that look kit! As you should damn well know by now is that we're partners so what effects one of us will effect the other, so yes when you ****mind-rape your new apprentice I WILL be accompanying you whether you like it or not!**

_'Fair enough I guess Kurama. So while I apply these seals, you do plan on assisting do you not?'_

"**Obviously since I seem to be the only one who knows that particular seal!"**

_'Well we might as well get started since I assume this seal will take quite some time to apply.'_

XxX

After about half an hour of Naruto carefully and steadily applying the intricate arrays upon Lisannas forehead as well as his own, although he had to make a shadow clone to apply the seal to himself, he could finally say that this part of the plan was at least done. Now all that was really left was to activate the seal...although much to Narutos dismay, he had no idea how to do that since a certain furry fox bastard had decided to refrain from explaining that particular part.

'Now what Kurama? The seals are all in place, and honestly I look like some kinda damn cultist with all these markings on my face! So could you tell me how to activate the seal now? I'd really like to get on with helping Lisanna-chan out now.' Naruto mentally pleads to his partner.

"**Now that you mention it...you do look like a cultist!"** Kurama then bursts into a furious fit of laughter which luckily for Naruto didn't last too long. **"Now back to business. If you want me to tell you how to activate the seal then you better ask nicely."** Kurama tells naruto while sporting a foxy and rather toothy grin.

'Ok...Kurama could you please tell me how to activate the seal...'

"**Not bad for a first attempt. Now try it again...with more feeling."**

'Kurama would you please find it within your vast heart to tell me how to activate the seal?' Naruto once again asks his giant companion as a tic mark begins to form above his brow.

"**Hmm...No still not good enough kit. AGAIN!"**

"...Oh great and powerful Kurama, lord and master of all Kitsune. Would you please-' Naruto begins to ask again before clenching his fists together and then proceeds to shout at Kurama. 'Ugh GODDAMMIT KURAMA! I already asked you politely three times to help me. So could you PLEASE not be such a bastard and just help?!"

"**Finally it took you long enough to crack!"** Says Kurama with that same damn grin on his face. **"I just had to do that since I'm more or less being forced to help with this, and luckily for you this particular technique doesn't require any of those bothersome handsigns. Now anyways to activate this particular seal, all you have to do is start by placing your hands on either side of her head, then press your forehead gently against hers and close your eyes. Once that's done then all that's left is to focus your chakra and meld a portion of it with your consciousness then slip it from your seal into hers. So like I said before. Mind-rape!"**

Back in the actual world Naruto takes a moment to crack his neck before resuming his gaze at Lisannas sleeping form. With slow and careful movements he repositions himself so that his face is over her own, and once he is in position he lowers his forehead to gently rest itself on hers. 'Ok so now I have to place my hands...here and meld my chakra. Once that's done, all that's left to do is...this.' Naruto then positions his hands on either side of her face and proceeds to build up the proper amount of chakra that's been melded with his consciousness before releasing it into her seal.

XxX Within Lisannas mind XxX

Within the deep recesses of Lisannas mind, Naruto opens his eyes and is quite surprised at the sight that lay before him. Naruto looked to be standing in a small clearing surrounded by a forest of deep and dark vegetation the likes he had never seen before, however when he looked behind him he could see a large cliff overlooking the jungle below with a raging waterfall that fell majestically into a small lagoon with a small river flowing out of it. "Ok...I did not expect to see this..." Naruto quietly says under his breath as he continues to bask in the sight all around him. "Ok seriously what the hell? Just how is it that her mind a jungle while mine is a damn sewer?!"

"**Probably because like your master, your mind is usually in the gutter..."**

As Narutos eyes widen his attention immediately shifts to the source of that particular and familiar voice. His gaze falls on a fox that's about the size of a large dog, but has nine tails. "...Ok stupid question...just how the hell are you here Kurama?" Naruto asks with a deadpan look on his face.

"**Hehehe I told you before didn't I? When you attempted this technique BOTH of our conciousness would enter hers...just be glad I decided to slim down or a good portion of this...place would be entirely demolished."** Kurama replies with a chuckle. **"Now anyways we should start looking for the neko."** Upon saying those words Kurama stands up on all fours and then proceeds to walk towards the waterfall.

With a sigh of slight annoyance Naruto picks up the pace until he's walking alongside Kurama. "So... any particular reason we're starting with the waterfall?"

"**Because it's out in the open so if she is near there, then she will be far easier to see. Or I could just return to my original size and destroy the forest to flush her out if you prefer..."** Kurama jokingly tells his blonde companion whom immediately waves his hands in front of him erratically. "No no that's not necessary Kurama. I don't want her only place of refuge to be annihilated!"

"**Ya ya whatever you say kit."**

As the duo arrive at the towering waterfall they notice large boulders laying in various places near the base as well as a single tree with a large trunk situated partway into the lagoon. Without a moments hesitation Kurama leapt onto the boulders and kept on going until he was as high as possiable.

"**Naruto...There appears to be a cavern hidden behind the waterfall. Hmm...a hidden cave behind a waterfall...if I recall the last time we entered a place like that we had a grand violent game of chakra tug of war. Too bad we don't have time for that again."**

"Heh that is one game I don't think I can ever forget Kurama. Especially since I was able to meet my mother during it." A warm smile forms on his face as he recalls the past. However he was quite aware that he didn't have time to waste and he had to find Lisanna. Naruto takes a deep breath before he races across the waters surface but just as he nears the waterfall he overhears a cocky comment from Kurama and momentarily looses focus causing him to fall head first into the water.

"**Are you sure you want to just barrel right in like that?"**

"Ugh that the hell was that for and what do you mean by that Kurama? If she's in there then I have to hurry in." Naruto angerly exclaims as he picks himself out of the water and glares at Kurama who's now giving him a smug look.

"**Because of how you currently look kit. Personally I don't care, however I think you might send her the wrong signals if you go in there looking like that."**

"Huh what do you-" Naruto starts to ask before looking down and is suffice to say freaked out to see that for some reason he was currently naked. "Oi what the hell! Just why am I naked? And just how are you unaffected Kurama?"

"**Your naked because this isn't your mind Naruto. And the reason I'm not effected is because I'm a damn fox and we have no need for clothes. We have these lovely warm pelts. This particular technique doesn't allow the user to wear clothes, I mean if you did add those additional seals then yes you would have clothes...however the side effect of that would force me to have them on as well and I refuse to wear anything of the sort!"** Kurama explains as he raises one of his front paws and proceeds to groom himself.

Kurama smugly watches as Naruto storms over to the nearby Jungle to procure himself something to wear at least, all the while muttering curses about bastard foxes not informing him about specific details about this particular technique.

After a few minutes Naruto managed to gather enough materials to make a make-shift set of clothes, which consisted of an overly large leaf with a hole in the centre where Narutos head went in with the tip of the leaf draped over his chest and the base of the leaf went over his back. As for his lower half, since he had no earthly idea on how to make something as intricate as a pair of pants he was left with grabbing a few more oversized leaves that he had to use vines to last together and have a sort of dress.

The entire time he spent walking back to the lagoon all he could hear what sounded like rolling thunder that was in fact the sound of Kuramas laughter. **"Oh Kami this if one hell of a day! I seriously can't believe you made a dress, and better yet...your actually wearing the damn thing!"** By this time Kurama was laying on his back and rolling side to side as he continued his laughing tirade at the expense of one blonde shinobi. But luckily as they say paybacks a bitch, since as Kurama was tossing and turning as he was continuing to laugh at Naruto, and as he did so he moved just a little too close to the edge of the boulder that he was currently situated on and ended up falling off and ended up landing in the lagoon. It didn't take long for the kyuubi to leap out of the water and come to a halt on the waters surface totally soaked and looking completely miserable, but by that moment much to his great displeasure, Naruto was now standing directly in front of him with a smug look on his face. **"You say one word...One fucking word about this to anyone and I swear to Kami I will tear you to pieces!"**

"I guess we can agree that anything that happens here will never reach the light of day...Agreed?"

Reluctantly Kurama nods in agreement before shaking himself dry. The pair then proceed to walk around the waterfall so avoid getting wet again.

Once they enter the mouth of the cavern Naruto hears the faint sound of someone crying. "I guess you were right Kurama. She must be in here. I mean ya she has to be here since it is her mind but I mean here here...ugh you know what I mean." Naruto says before he races forward with Kurama hot on his heels in pursuit of the faint sobs.

At their current pace it doesn't take more than a minute or so for them to reach a large open expanse and could see the huddled over form of Lisanna crying her eyes out sitting on a large rock that was by the wall.

_'Ok...how would be the best way to go about this...ugh I'll just wing it!'_ Naruto then starts walking forward with one hand raised in the air and the other on his side to ensure the 'dress' stayed on. "Yo Lisanna-chan! Fancy meeting you here."

Lisanna slowly raises her head from her hands and looks in the direction of the voice. "N-Naruto-kun?" At the moment she was thoroughly confused. Especially since as far as she knew, it was impossible to enter another persons mind like this so since it can't possibly be Naruto then he must just be a figment of her imagination. Yes that's right...however that doesn't explain the larger than normal fox with...nine tails? Ok seriously just what on earth is going on here? How did they manage to invade her most sacred of havens?

"No...it can't be him. My damn mind must be playing tricks on me..." Lisanna says with a sigh before turning away from Naruto. "It has to be...there's no way he would be here...especially since he's already abandoned me...just like everyone else..."

As Lisannas words reach Naruto, his jaw partially drops as he the gears in him mind were being sent into overdrive as he was beginning to realize the extent of his previous actions. Without warning or hesitation Naruto was suddenly engulfed in light and immediately vanishes from his previous spot onto to instantly reappear beside Lisanna. He quickly grabs her by the shoulders and lifts her into the air, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Lisanna-chan! I didn't mean to take off when I did. I'm sorry if you thought that I abandoned you but I honestly didn't mean to. Just before Orochimaru left he told me that he saw an old friend of mine. I have a pretty good idea on who that friend is since I consider him like a brother! And he vanished during the war back home after he saved me. That's why I chased after Orochimaru since I needed answers on his whereabouts. However he vanished so I chose to go straight back to you. However you were curled up and didn't respond to anything I said so of course I got worried so I brought you straight back to the ship. Then after awhile I got to talking with Kurama who told me about this one particular seal which managed to bring the two of us into your own mind...so ya here we are..." Once Naruto finished his long explanation of the situation and how he came to be in her mind he he started gasping for breath as Lisanna just looked at him in complete confusion with her eyes still red and puffy.

"**Narutos telling you the truth you know."** Kurama adds as he just now finished making his way across the cavern and coming to a stop in front of Lisanna and Naruto who's previous yellow chakra cloak has completely dissipated. The moment Lisanna sets her eyes on Kurama she immediately stiffens. "J-just what is that Naruto-kun?" She asks as she grips onto Narutos arm.

"I'm sure you remember seeing Killer Bee back at Arlong Park when he was in that giant octopus-ox form with the eight tails? Well this is Kurama the nine-tailed fox. He's the Biju that's been sealed within me since the day I was born. He can still be one hell of a pain in the ass...but it was because of him that I was able to temporarily enter your mind like this." Naruto tells her as he gently coaxes her to sit down beside him on the boulder. And once he manages to get her to sit down, he then carefully removes his arm from her vice-like grip and drapes it over her shoulder in a comforting manner.

Lisanna looks from Naruto to Kurama, then back to Naruto. "A Biju? T-That can't be." She begins to say before pointing a finger in Kuramas direction. "Biju are supposed to be monsters practically the size of Sea Kings and about a hundred times more powerful! Sure he may have nine tails but it looks far too small and weak to be one of _them,_ I mean he's far too cute and cuddly to be considered-" Lisanna starts to say before a wave of strong killing intent washes over her causing her shake in terror.

"**Who the fuck are you calling cute and cuddly? I am Kurama the Nine-Tailed fox! The strongest of all the Biju! I'll have you know that I can cause fucking Tsunamis with just a single swish of my tails! I should eat you for your insolence!"** Kurama threatens as he takes a step forward as his body continues to emit a furious onslaught of KI.

"KNOCK IT OFF KURAMA! I understand that your pissed about that comment however don't forget that at the moment your in a chibi form of your actual self. And honestly...this form IS cute and cuddly you can't deny that. So anyways can't you just give her a break already? Please." Naruto states as he puts himself between the now furious Kurama and an overly terrified Lisanna. Naruto and Kurama glare at one another for what seems like an hour before Kurama breaks their eye-contact. **"Fine...but only this one damn time will I tolerate such insolence. The next time someone dares to insult me like that...they will pay for it, and pay for it dearly!"** Kurama angerly states before he starts to exit the cavern.

With a sigh of relief that he was able to diffuse the current situation, Naruto then sits back down beside Lisanna and holds her close. "Sorry you had to experience that. But honestly...not a good idea to insult Kurama like that...he kinda has a bit of a temper."

Naruto continues to hold Lisanna close until she finally manages to calm down. "N-Naruto-kun? Was it him you allowed to take control of your body back in Arlong Park? Was he the one to finish off Arlong and...and save me and Nami-san?" She quietly asks as her body was still shaking.

"Ya that was him. He did in fact rescue the two of you, more or less indirectly but still..." Naruto says as she rests her head on his shoulder for a moment. "I guess I owe him an apology..."

"Ya that would be for the best. And if possible try to avoid words like cute and cuddly. I mean ya that was funny as hell but ya...try to avoid that." Naruto tells her before he stares off into space for a moment. "Umm...I really hate to be the one to ask you this but uh...just before I brought you back to the ship you were muttering something about being left alone. Could you tell me what you meant by that." As he asks Lisanna this he feels her body immediately stiffen. "But if your not comfortable talking about it yet then I won't force you."

"No...I-I don't mind..." Lisanna quietly says as she holds onto Naruto a little tighter. "Years ago...way back when I was still a small child. Any time I got in trouble or some bullies picked on me because I was different, my brother would always step in and save me...he was my hero. But one day...he just... vanished. The day before a group of older boys attacked me just for the heck of it, and as usual my brother would just swoop in and make them leave me alone. However I heard that he really hurt one of them while defending me. That boys father was a member of the marines and well...as far as I know he may have had something to do with my brothers disappearance. The next few years were the most miserable of my life, since my brother was gone there was nobody left I could rely on so I was beaten almost everyday. After one particularly bad beating I ran off and hid in the jungle since I knew the other kids were scared of going in there. I ended up going in just a little too far and I got lost."

"What about your parents? Weren't they around to protect you?"

Lisanna solemnly shakes her head. "No...I don't have parents...the only ones other than my brother that I can consider family is this group of martial artists I came across in the jungle." Lisanna tells him as she reluctantly lets go of Naruto and pulls up her legs again before wrapping her arms around them. "They were all very kind to me. The Elders granddaughter and I actually grew quite close, she was one of the only people I could call a friend at the time. At the time there were only three martial arts masters at that dojo not counting the Elder. One of them looked and acted really kind that taught Jujutsu, however when it came to the training he was actually quite brutal." Lisanna pauses for a moment and shivers. "Another of the masters was a short and perverted older man who taught Chinese Kenpo, sure his skills were amazing...I'm just glad I wasn't...developed enough at the time he trained me. The third master was a tanned and overly buffed guy who was really kind that used a style called Muay Thai, and animals seemed to love and adore him. But for some reason the Elder refused to let him train me...I'm still not completely sure why." As Lisanna started opening up Naruto remained silent, soaking in everything she told him.

"Then one day these people wearing these weird bubbles over their heads came to the island. At the time I was about...16. One of those men pointed at me and said that he was going to take me back home with them and make me one of his wives...needless to say I ended up running away before his guards could catch me. Luckily there was a marine vessel docked at the harbour which I somehow managed to sneak onto. But unfortunately the ship soon disembarked and was making it's way to the East Blue. So I figured I should start my journey to find my brother then and there. I only regret not being able to say goodbye to the masters and my friend Miu-chan." Lisanna tearfully explains before Naruto gently wipes away a few tears that begun to run down her face.

"Well...Where exactly is your homeland located on the Grand Line? Because I have no problem with us stopping there for awhile so you can see them again." Naruto tells Lisanna while giving her shoulder a firm and reassuring squeeze.

Lisannas gaze darts back to Naruto in surprise that he was willing to go out of his way to help her. Once again reminding the young woman about just how kind hearted he really was. She then nods before returning her head back to it's previous position on his shoulder where she then proceeds to nuzzle him affectionately.

"Well I'm happy that your feeling better. However I think it's time we get back to the real world. We do have a dinner to attend in a couple hours." Naruto says with a slight chuckle. "Oi Kurama I know your there. It's time to go."

Once those words leave Narutos lips, Kurama head then pokes around the corner for a moment before he walks back over to the pair. **"About time kit..."** He states before turning his gaze towards Lisanna.

With a light blush on her face Lisanna takes a deep breath as she hops down to the ground. She then actually gets on her hands and knees and bows down to Kurama. "I'm very sorry about earlier Kurama-sama! I deeply apologize for my actions!"

A look of great surprise crosses Kurama face before he turns around, but not fast enough to avoid Naruto seeing the blush on his cheeks. **"Just remember your place neko and don't let it happen again...but as long as you give me the respect I deserve then you may refer to me with the ****honorific san instead of sama..."**

With a chuckle Naruto leaps off the boulder so he's that he is now standing beside Kurama. "Aww you certainly can be a softy when you want to be. And so humble as well." Naruto cheekily states before he places his hands together and closes his eyes. Once he does that both himself and Kurama vanish from her mindscape leaving her alone until she allows herself to wake up.

_'Well I do feel a little better now. Although...I wonder why Naruto-kun was wearing a dress made of leaves?'_ Lisanna wonders a she watches the Jinchuriki and fox vanish before her eyes.

XxX

Back in the physical realm Naruto finally opens his eyes and raises himself up from his previous position, but just as he proceeds to crack his aching neck he suddenly stiffens as he feels a chill running down his back. Very slowly Naruto turns his head to the side to see an annoyed TenTen standing in the doorway and a blushing Nojiko behind her.

"Ok...I know what your thinking and what this looks like. So before you you go all Sakura on me, can you at least hear me out first?" Naruto asks as he looks at the pair with a worried expression on his face.

"Well Naruto-kun...As you can see I don't have any weapons in my hands...at the moment anyway. So get explaining." TenTen states as she crosses her arms and glares in the blonds direction.

After exhaling a sigh of apparent relief Naruto begins to explain what happened to Lisanna but does his best to leave out the parts directly involving a certain snake. "So since Lisanna-chan was traumatized by something that happened in town I knew I should bring her back to the ship where it was safe. Then I got talking with Kurama who told me about this one particular seal." Naruto then points to the seal on his forehead to show that particular piece of evidence. "This seal allowed me...and Kurama to enter her mind so we could confront her directly in an effort to help her. And once I finished talking to her I released myself from her mind and here we are..."

"Hmm...I guess that makes sense. However..." TenTen then uncrosses her arms and walks over to Naruto. "I can tell there's still a part of the story your hiding from me.

"Yes I am...However I'll only tell tell you guys about it when our entire group is back together since it is actually quite important. And ya before you ask...it's about how Lisanna-chan was traumatized. So for the next day or two we can't under any circumstances leave either Lisanna-chan or Nojiko-chan alone for any reason!" Naruto explains with a serious look on his face so TenTen just nods in understanding since at the moment she understood that she wasn't dealing with Naruto the fun-loving idiot, but with Naruto the Kage and leader, so she knew she could trust his judgement about the current situation.

"Fair enough Naruto-kun. So what now?"

"Hmm...How about you tell me what you guys have been up to while we wait for Lisanna-chan to wake u-" He starts to say but notices Lisanna moving out of the corner of his eye but then he continues once she sits up. "Anyways, can you tell me what you've been up to, then after that we should all probably get ready for dinner since Captain Smoker is suppose to be paying for us."

TenTen then takes a seat across from Naruto who was still sitting on the bed, before motioning for Nojiko to join them. "Well all we really did was explore the town a little, as well as cash in all that gold we procured from that pirate group awhile back. We ended up getting several million Belli so I figured it should all go towards getting us all the required equipment for our journey." She pauses for a moment to take out the scroll containing all the money. "After that we started making our way back, but as we were passing through the centre of town we noticed Killer Bee staring at some platform that was standing in the middle of the plaza. I asked Nojiko-chan about it and she told me that's where the pirate king Gold Rodger was executed twenty years ago. But anyways It didn't look like Bee was causing a commotion so I figured it was fine to leave him as is." TenTen continues to explain, but goes silent as she notices the worried look on Narutos face. "Is something the matter Naruto-kun?"

"Ok lets just back up for a moment and go over this again...You said you saw Bee standing near the centre of the town, right?" Naruto asks and the girls then nod in conformation. "And he was staring at a large platform that was standing in the middle of the plaza completely surrounded by people right? The one that the the so called Pirate King was executed on about twenty years ago?" Once again TenTen nods. "Great...knowing him he will probably think that the execution platform is a damn stage...Ugh I really don't have time for this. I have to stop him before he reveals too much about us being Jinchuriki!" Naruto angerly states causing TenTen to realize the sort of trouble that would inevitably bring them. He then immediately turns around and races through the ship until he reaches the deck. As he makes his way through the ship both Nojiko and Lisanna follow as fast as they can but just as they reach the deck they are blinded by a brilliant flash of golden light causing the two of them to cover their eyes. As the brilliant light begins to fade, to their surprise the find that Naruto was no longer in sight. Somehow whatever he did was a great deal different from when he used those trident shaped kunai to teleport himself around.

"Just what the heck happened Lisanna-chan?" Nojiko asks as she looks around for the non-existent blonde.

Lisanna shrugs as she takes a moment to ponder the question. But after a few moments she notices a faint light off in the distance that appeared to be leaping from rooftop to rooftop. _'I wonder what that is?'_


End file.
